Welcome Matt: Improving roster periphery has been Allvin's best work as Canucks GM

Our friend Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff has recently argued that Canucks GM Patrik Allvin should win NHL executive-of-the-year.

Seconded!

Allvin swung another trade Friday, recouping a draft pick and a depth defenceman from San Jose for forward Jack Studnicka. The Canucks shed a one-way contract, placated Studnicka and his agent with a new NHL opportunity, and added some change in their pocket to continue the trend of improvement on the margins.

While it’s true that Allvin has made some bolder moves like trading for defenceman Filip Hronek and signing winger Ilya Mikheyev to a four-year deal in free agency, his best work has come on the periphery of the roster. And those players are a big reason why the Canucks are 21-9-2 heading into Tuesday’s play.

The play of Vancouver’s third line has floated the team’s performance for more than a month as the stars have quieted down from their scorching starts.

Centre Teddy Blueger and winger Dakota Joshua — both low-cost free-agent additions — have played key roles.

Sam Lafferty has been a utility club filling roles on both the fourth-line (even at centre) and on the top line as one of Elias Pettersson’s wingers.

Backup goaltender Casey DeSmith has earned points in seven of his nine starts.

Free-agent defencemen Ian Cole and Carson Soucy (before he got hurt) helped the club’s goal-prevention and penalty-killing.

Vancouver’s GM has made a league-high six trades since training camp, most notably shedding the salary of Anthony Beauvillier in a move to Chicago and recouping a draft pick that was almost immediately turned into defenceman Nikita Zadorov in a same-week deal with the Flames.

Then there’s Conor Garland. You don’t hear much about his trade request — if it’s still pending, and good thing Allvin didn’t satisfy it quickly — given the spade work he’s done as part of that effective third-line. He’s playing some of his best hockey in three seasons in Vancouver, even if the production isn’t there.

There is still some important work to be done for Allvin.

He’s got to decide how aggressive to get before the March 8 trade deadline given the club’s significant need for a right-shot, top-four defenceman and a scoring winger to play with Pettersson.

Beyond that, there are contract extensions required for Pettersson and Hronek, both restricted free agents, not to mention eight unrestricted free agents who either need to be re-signed or replacements found.

But the early returns have been excellent and Allvin should rightly take some bows. He made this club better by increasing its depth and improving around the edges.

No small feat in a capped-out league where many GMs are making excuses for their inaction.

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