It was a busy Friday night for the Vancouver Canucks. Not only did the team have a game against the Dallas Stars, but upper management was busy working the phones and made a pair of trades with a couple of Eastern Conference teams.

Once the team landed, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin met with the media at YVR airport to discuss exactly what went down with these trades:

“I want to start off by thanking JT Miller for his time here in Vancouver. Great hockey player, did a lot for the Vancouver Canucks, on and off the ice. It was a tough decision, but I’m happy for JT and his family, and wish him all the best. I also want to thank Danton Heinen, Erik Brännström and Vinnie Desharnais for their time here.”

We all know about the rift between JT Miller and Elias Pettersson that ultimately accelerated this move. Here’s what Allvin said was the underlying cause of the Miller move:

“This was a conversation between myself and JT and his agent that started about two months ago. With his health and the environment we had, during the time and during the discussions leading up to yesterday, I felt that he probably needed a fresh start [with] where he was in his life, with his age and with his family, we felt this was the best option for him and the Vancouver Canucks.”

The Canucks GM also shared that there was never any discussion about retaining salary on JT Miller.

Having two players in the locker room not getting along isn’t something new for teams. However, having it get out the way it did and literally be the talk of the entire National Hockey League for two months was certainly new. This circumstance was unique and provided a growing opportunity for everybody involved.

Allvin wasn’t sure if there was a lesson to be learned from this, but had some insight on the situation:

“You have a 23-man roster, and I’ve been on teams where there are different personalities. Just face it. JT Miller, the reason why he’s so good in the league is he’s super competitive. He’s walking the fine line at times and I also think he’s been dealing with a lot of other things. I wouldn’t just say it’s about two players; it’s about 23 men. In our dressing room, you hold each other accountable. We’re not running a country club here. We’re running a professional hockey team. The players [are] demanding a lot of themselves and each other, so it going to be a competitive environment.”

Allvin spoke more on the environment in the locker room, highlighting the keys to making the room a more cohesive unit:

“That’s up to the players. You grow in the leadership, and it’s my job to create an environment where the players feel safe. You’re building the culture with the prospects starting in Abbotsford and leading up to the big team here. The growth of Quinn Hughes as a captain during my time has been impressive. How he’s handled different situations, a lot of credit to the coaching staff and Rick Tocchet as well, obviously the coaching staff that I have, they’re experience and what they’ve dealt with in the old days when Rick and Adam Foote played, I think they would have solved these things outside [of] the ice and dealt with it in different ways. But I’m proud of what JT went through and the team has done here, getting together and talking. Winning solves a lot of problems.”

After both trades, the Canucks brought in as many roster players as they sent out, adding two forwards and one defenceman in Vancouver, and one defenceman to Abbotsford. Allvin was shy to say the roster is better today than it was yesterday but held optimism for the players he acquired:

“It’s definitely different. I do like the pieces we have added here. Marcus was a key piece for us. We’ve been looking since the start of the summer, and those type of defenceman are hard to get. I felt with him, there wasn’t a whole lot available on the market. A lot of teams ask for young players – Tom Willander, [Sawyer] Mynio, [Kirill] Kudryatsev, Elias Pettersson. I feel those guys are on their way to the big club, or some of them on their way to Abbotsford. So, we didn’t want to part ways with our young, good defenceman there. Obviously, getting [Filip] Chytil, [Victor] Mancini and Drew O’Connor were big pieces for us, [for] how we want to play and how we want to construct our roster.”

While the two deals were made separately, it almost felt like a three-way trade, considering the Rangers’ first-round pick was out the door as quickly as it came in. But Allvin shared that these deals were separate, but he knew what Pittsburgh was looking for, making it a factor in what he acquired from the Rangers:

“I had some idea [of] what was needed to get certain deals done. Especially with Pittsburgh, I was aware [of] what Kyle Dubas was asking for, and it worked out that this was the best fit for us.”

Allvin further added Pittsburgh had not asked for certain conditions on the Rangers’ first-round draft pick, it was Vancouver wanting those conditions.

When trading a player of Miller’s stature, many can look at that as a rebuilding type of move. However, this management group went out and made it clear that they just needed a shakeup, and this is more of a retool than a rebuild.

“I think Jim’s message earlier was that we’re trying to retool. In a deal like this, it was important to get younger players into the organization. Obviously, Marcus [Pettersson] has the most experience of those players, but we feel that we needed to re-tool it. We’ve also been fortunate to stack up our pipeline with prospects, able to sign some European and College free agent guys to compliment some of the picks lost, going out to other organizations in other deals. I think that’s just part of where we’re at as an organization.”

This isn’t the first time a Jim Rutherford-led team has traded for Marcus Pettersson. Clearly, this regime likes the player, and after giving up a big piece they acquired for Miller, they might be eager to retain his services and offer his extension before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. However, there have not been any talks between both sides in that regard yet:

“I have not talked to Marcus’ agent,” Allvin said. “We were travelling today; we just exchanged texts. [He is] Definitely a priority for us to get him signed. I know that Marcus is extremely excited. Jim mentioned that he traded for him previously, and Sergei Gonchar worked with him in Pittsburgh, so there is a lot of familiarity with Marcus here. He was thankful and excited for the opportunity.”

In an interview with the Athletic’s Josh Yohe, Jim Rutherford further explained more about his history with Pettersson and what he likes of the character and game he’ll bring to Vancouver:

“We had to give up something to get him, but Marcus is one heck of a defenceman. I traded for him when I was in Pittsburgh, and I’m very happy with how that one turned out. I traded Daniel Sprong for him, and I can still remember people saying, ‘How on earth can you trade Daniel Sprong for this guy?’ Well, I’m pretty darn happy with how that worked out. How good did that trade work out? And here we are again. We need an upgrade, and he’s going to give us that. I know that he will.

“He’s just what we need, in my opinion. You know what he is? He’s just a very, very steady defensive defenseman. You need to have guys like that if you want to win in this league. And he’s one of the really good ones.

“Talk about a character guy. One of my favourites. We know that we’re getting one heck of a good guy to go along with the fact that he’s one heck of a good hockey player.”

Allvin added his outlook on all the players he brought in:

“We looked at the options here, and we wanted to continue to build with younger players. Chytil, a former first-round pick centreman was important for us. I do believe that with the coaching staff here, I believe he has some more upside. We’re excited to continue to work with him.”

The Canucks GM added that he and his staff are aware of Chytil’s injury history with concussions but that the team checked in on his medical records to see what the player had been dealing with before the trade.

“I see Drew [O’Connor] as a winger. I know he played a lot of centre in Pittsburgh this year. Obviously, Tocc [Rick Tocchet] likes two positions. [He’s an] Extremely strong skater, good size – he played with Conor Garland at the World Championship two years ago, I believe – and a really good athlete. He’s a guy that you can move up and down any lineup and bring the speed and the forecheck.”

“Mancini was a first-year pro, [he] played in Omaha-Nebraska college [is] a guy that we’ve been following. He got 15 games earlier in New York this year, and our staff were excited about the upside there. It’s important to get a young right-shot defenceman into our system here.”

Allvin added that the plan for Mancini was for him to start down in Abbotsford, but that might change depending on the health of the roster.

Now that the team can put all the noise behind them and just focus on playing hockey, with Miller gone, all the pressure now falls on the shoulders of Elias Pettersson. There are high expectations on him now, whether it be from himself, the fans, his coaches or Canucks management:

“I know that Elias is committed to do the right things, finding his way to play to the level that we all know he’s capable of,” Allvin said. “He’s showing signs of him going in the right direction, and I know that he is doing the extra work that is needed. I hope that he is one of them that is going to continue to carry on the team and lead the team the right way, playing the right way. We need his production here moving forward.”

While there is extra pressure on Pettersson, Allvin has not lost faith for him to overcome it and bounce back to the player he was when he earned his eight-year, $92.8 million extension:

“I think that part of being a professional hockey player. Especially when you commit to that kind of contract. My expectation is higher on him than anywhere else on our team. I expect him to meet my expectations and I expect him to meet his own expectations. So far, he has not done that. If you talk to him, he’s disappointed. But he’s aware of it, and I know that he’s capable and that he will work at it.”

Watch the entire media availability below:

What do you think, Canucks fans? Do you agree with what Allvin and Rutherford had to say after making these moves? Let us know in the comments below!