On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Irfaan Gaffar were joined by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli to discuss how the Vancouver Canucks might be engaging in the trade market ahead of the March trade deadline.
Vancouver handled the Predators last night in Nashville in an impressive 5-2 victory, where the Canucks were in control for the majority of the game. Pettersson and the Canucks snapped the Preds 4 game win streak, and with 46 points sit just 1 point back of the Division and Conference lead behind Vegas.
Frank gave his thoughts on how the Canucks have looked so far and the position they’re in at this point in the season: “I think the Canucks are a really good team. Irfaan hit it right on the head when he said they’re still maturing and getting better right in front of our eyes. With the boxes they have checked, they’re going to be a formidable playoff team to go up against. The Pacific is murderous, and it all depends on how it shakes out.”
Irf then asked Frank how much more activity we might see from Rutherford and Allvin before the deadline.
“I think they’re going to be pretty active; look at how aggressive they’ve been to this point,” Frank answered. “Some would say they’ve tinkered around the edges; I would say they’ve made a bunch of really smart bets to stack incremental 3%-5% wins on top of each other that have been difference-makers when it comes to the results we see on a night-to-night basis… This front office is eager and open to do business. They’re willing to shake things up and question the status quo. I’m not ready to make any bold proclamation yet simply because I don’t believe the rest of the NHL is on the same page.”
Quads: “Do you see the Canucks’ first-round pick being in play at all?”
Frank: “I don’t see the Canucks being a team that’s out there pounding the pavement, saying, ‘hey, we’re going to move our first-round pick to get a rental back in return,’ but if you could find someone that fits your age scheme, be part of your team for a while, and can help you now and for the future, I don’t think the Canucks would blink for a second and would put that first-round pick in play. They’ve had too many first-round picks that haven’t panned out, and it goes to show if you can be aggressive in the moment and make a game-changing move, that’s the way to play it.”
Frank then gave his thoughts when asked about the feeling around the league of the job that Rick Tocchet has done with his team so far:
“It’s been incredibly impressive. The buy-in he’s gotten from the team is important; he’s been able to help mold and shape the pieces that have come in. To really understand Rick Tocchet and the attitude, persistence, and drive he has to be better; he’s no-nonsense. You show up, you’re ready to work and if not, you’re not going to be part of the mix. Look at someone like J.T. Miller and his impact; it’s not a foregone conclusion what you’d be getting out of Miller at this spot given where he was one year ago. The fact he’s been able to squeeze as much out of Miller as he has; he deserves a tip of the cap for that. It’s been a big part of this season’s success.”
You can watch the full segment in the video below:
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