Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin is hoping his club can ride last season's strong finish into a hot start for the 2023-24 campaign.

"It definitely feels different because I feel that we're more aligned from the top to the bottom," Allvin told Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre Friday when asked about the organizational changes over the last year. "I think we're all preaching the same message. We know the players. And there was definitely a big momentum boost after last year when we did the coaching change."

The Canucks were a long shot to make the previous postseason after an 18-25-3 start to the 2022-23 campaign under head coach Bruce Boudreau. Vancouver missed the playoffs by 15 points, but Allvin took solace in the club's strong finish, going 20-12-4 after Rick Tocchet replaced Boudreau.

Allvin said he believes that a full training camp under Tocchet will prepare the team better to avoid the poor starts that torpedoed them in past seasons.

"The approach Toc has and how he wants to play the game, you need to be fit to play," he said. "And I think that's what he emphasized to the players - the fitness level in order to be able to play the right way. That's where I give the leadership group a lot of credit because the players came together and sent out the texts, and everybody showed up earlier than ever before."

After the Canucks finished 25th in the league in goals against and owned the NHL's worst penalty kill last season, Allvin made a cognizant effort to improve the club's defensive play for the upcoming campaign.

In addition to signing Carson Soucy and Ian Cole to help shore up the blue line, Vancouver also brought in defensive-minded centers Pius Suter and Teddy Blueger to improve the overall team defense.

Allvin said those additions and a full season under Tocchet will help the Canucks win the close, low-scoring games they couldn't last season.

"You don't need to win games 6-5, 7-5," he said. "You can win games 2-1 by playing the right way and being a very, very consistent team. I think that's what we (strive for), being very consistent in detail."

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Live from Young Starts at Neighbourhood Brewing in Penticton, Matt and Blake discuss the Canucks prospect tournament and what to expect. The guys discuss Elias Pettersson's projected contract number, the B.C. Lions game on Saturday vs. Ottawa, the Blue Jays continued struggles down the stretch and a spicy quote from Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini. Chris Faber from Canucks Conversation and Canucks Army previews Young Stars and highlights some of the top prospects in the organization. John Shannon gives us the lowdown on the Mike Babcock situation, the latest on the Canucks colour commentator gig on television and how the Canucks stack up in the West against the Calgary Flames. We also welcome Mike Coghill, the founder of Yellow Dog Brewing and Neighbourhood Brewing, our partners, to talk about the impact Young Stars has on the community of Penticton and the local breweries. We wrap up the show with an SvP debate on if Elias Pettersson will want to leave the Canucks if they fail to make the playoffs yet again. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Sidney Crosby is open to handing Connor McDavid the reins should the two ever suit up together for Team Canada.

The NHL and NHLPA recently announced plans to kick-start a regular international tournament schedule in 2025, and Crosby said he'd be thrilled to suit up alongside McDavid - even if it means sacrificing his usual position.

"I'll go there," Crosby said on Sportsnet's "32 Thoughts" podcast. "I'll play my off-wing, no worries. Listen, I've skated with him and I've played both, so I think I'm good either way with playing center or wing, whatever he wants to do. He can carry the mail. I'll just find the opening."

The NHL hasn't held a best-on-best international tourney since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. Crosby captained Canada to the title, but McDavid suited up for Team North America - a blend of Under-23 players from both Canada and the United States that took the tournament by storm but didn't advance past the group stage.

While nothing is finalized, the NHL hopes to host a World Cup in 2025 before returning to the Olympics in 2026. The league's intention is to hold World Cups on the even years between the Winter Games going forward.

Crosby will turn 38 in 2025, but age is unlikely be a consideration when Canada assembles its next team. He captained the country to gold at the Sochi Games in 2014, scored the winning goal at the Vancouver Games in 2010, and also has world junior and world championship gold medals on his resume.

McDavid hasn't represented Canada since the 2018 world championship, where he wore the "C" and captured a gold medal. The 26-year-old has also won world junior and Under-18 gold.

A Crosby-McDavid partnership would make Canada a clear-cut favorite in the eyes of many, but Crosby doesn't think it's that simple.

"Seeing all the other countries, you look at their lineups. I mean, it's pretty tight," Crosby said. "I mean, there's no real favored team. It's easy to say Canada because we've had success at Olympics and that sort of thing. But, I mean, the hockey is incredible. And from my experience, it doesn't really get any better than that, when you're looking at the lineups and you're looking to players that are assembled."

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After falling just one point off the mark last year, New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes thinks he can become the first player in franchise history to have a 100-point season.

"I'm a competitive person, so definitely a little like, 'Damn,' you know?" Hughes said of his 99-point effort during a recent appearance on the "32 Thoughts" podcast. "I wanted that because I'm competitive.

"You're so close, and you dream of being a star and you want to be a 100-point guy. ... I believe I will be. I just gotta stay on the path I'm on and keep my nose to the grind. I should get there."

Though he's only 22 years old, Hughes enjoyed a long-awaited breakout season in 2022-23. His 99 points in 78 games were the most in a single campaign in Devils history, and his 43 tallies were the most since Zach Parise's 45-goal season in 2008-09.

Hughes amassed just 108 points in 166 games through his first three NHL seasons after being drafted first overall in 2019. He acknowledged back in May that he was happy to silence critics who'd labeled him as "the biggest bust ever."

The Devils also took a step forward last season, rattling off 52 wins and 112 points to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18. Expectations will be higher in New Jersey in 2023-24, which Hughes admitted is a nice change of pace for his team.

"In previous years ... you're walking into camp (thinking), 'What's going to happen this year? What pick are we going to get? Who are we dishing at the deadline?'" Hughes said with a laugh.

"Even last year, we were like, 'Alright, it's time to take a step. We're no longer the young team that can use that as an excuse every year.' ... At what point is it like, 'Maybe Hughes, Hischier, (Jesper Bratt) - maybe they aren't the guys if they can't win any hockey games, it doesn't matter how young they are.' Last year was crazy because we just exploded, and no one saw it coming."

Hughes' renewed pursuit of the century mark will begin Oct. 12 versus the Detroit Red Wings.

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HENDERSON, Nev. - Connor McDavid, a household name in the hockey world before he could legally drive, has been fielding questions of all kinds from reporters and fans over the past decade. He knows the routine.

Holding court with reporters Wednesday, a week before his ninth training camp with the Edmonton Oilers, McDavid highlighted one particular question.

"I come to this event all the time and everyone's like, 'When are you going to win? When are you going to win?'" a relaxed McDavid said at the annual player media tour hosted by the NHL and NHL Players' Association.

McDavid understands why people associate the Edmonton Oilers with the Stanley Cup, and why they wonder when's it all going to come together for this group, if ever. McDavid, who turns 27 in January, and Leon Draisaitl, who'll be 28 in late October, aren't kids anymore. The learning should be over.

At the same time, as Draisaitl put it, "We're not the only team trying to chase something here." In the parity-filled, 32-team NHL, it's a long, tough slog to the top of the mountain.

"We have a training camp that we have to get through," McDavid said. "We've gotta get off to a good start. And there's 82 full games before you even get back to the same position. This is a marathon, and it takes everybody. It takes a little bit of good fortune as well."

Not only are they in the primes of their careers, but Draisaitl's current deal has two seasons left and McDavid's is done in three. Both could re-sign, sure, but it's also possible this group has a limited window.

The most productive duo since Mario and Jagr has a combined four Hart, five Pearson, and six Art Ross trophies. Last year saw McDavid amass an absurd 64 goals and 153 points, while Draisaitl recorded "just" 52 goals and 128 points. They've both been dominant for stretches in the playoffs, too, leading the Oilers to a total of four series victories. Yet, they don't have any Stanley Cup Final appearances.

"We're at that stage where we all want to win, we're ready to win. And we're ready to do whatever it takes to win, more importantly," Draisaitl said, later noting how back-to-back losses to the eventual Cup champions (Colorado in 2022, Vegas in 2023) should be considered "invaluable" experiences.

General manager Ken Holland barely touched the roster in the offseason. Middle-six winger Connor Brown - McDavid, a former junior teammate, called him "tenacious, relentless on the puck" - was the club's biggest addition. All eyes will be on the team's defense, which is led by relatively new defenseman Mattias Ekholm, and the goaltending tandem of Stuart Skinner and Jack Campbell.

"We believe in them. They're two very capable goalies," McDavid said. "Skinny is a young guy who has a ceiling as high as he wants to make it, really. He's got all the tools. I really believe that he is going to be a great goalie in this league. And Soup: I feel like he's going to bounce back."

Hello, Atlantic Division gauntlet

Every year at this time, pundits and fans size up each conference and division. In those evaluations, there tends to be a clear divide between the haves and have-nots. For instance, the Central Division has two Cup contenders in Colorado and Dallas … and then six clearly inferior teams.

You can't say the same about the Atlantic, though. It's going to be a gauntlet.

All four 2022-23 playoff teams - Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Florida - are more than capable of punching a ticket to the postseason again. However, Ottawa, Detroit, and Buffalo are far enough along in their competitive cycles to believe a playoff berth is finally an attainable goal.

That's seven of eight teams (sorry, Montreal) vying for a maximum five spots.

"It's like hell," a laughing Red Wings center Dylan Larkin said.

"Biased, but I would say it's the best division right now," said Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, who's coming off a Hart Trophy finalist nod and MVP-caliber performance during Florida's unexpected march to the Cup Final.

That magical 20-game run for Tkachuk featured 11 goals, four of them game-winners, and 24 points. To Matthew's proud younger brother Brady, the Senators' captain, this past spring "showed the hockey world what myself and the rest of my family already saw in Matthew - and that's a superstar."

The Tkachuks, 23 and 25, are both locked into long-term deals, so their on-ice rivalry is just beginning to heat up as Florida and Ottawa butt heads in the standings. South Florida embracing the Panthers' run helped fuel Brady's offseason. The power forward wants to see Ottawa go bananas.

The Sens have a burgeoning superstar of their own in Tim Stutzle. The German leads an offense that's suddenly deep, with Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Claude Giroux, Josh Norris, and Vladimir Tarasenko up front, and Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun pacing the back end.

"We got a taste of that in the playoff push in February, March, and April," Brady said of 2022-23, as Ottawa missed the playoff cut line by six points.

"When we were going through that, we were riding the highs and we were in the lows a little too long. But towards the end of it, we learned it's a new day the next day. You can't focus on anything else but the task at hand, whether it's being dialed in at practice or the game. We've learned and we're ready to show everybody what we've learned and we're ready for that next step."

Detroit and Buffalo are on a similar trajectory following a lean period. The Sabres' fan base, which has endured the NHL's longest playoff drought, is uniquely tortured. Sniper Tage Thompson was 13 when the club last made it.

"We were knocking on the door last year and missed the playoffs by a point," said Thompson, now 25 years old and chasing his first 50-goal season. "That left a bitter taste in all our mouths. Now we know what we're capable of.

"Anything short of making the playoffs is definitely a letdown."

Praising Patrice 'Mr. Perfect' Bergeron

There aren't many NHLers with a 100% approval rating among other players.

But Patrice Bergeron, who retired in late July after 19 glorious seasons with the Bruins, is undoubtedly on that very short list. Like retired goalie Henrik Lundqvist, Bergeron gives off Mr. Perfect vibes: a Hockey Hall of Fame-level talent who's described as a kind, genuine, universally respected person off the ice and just so happens to also have GQ cover-model looks.

"He's just perfect," Bruins teammate Charlie McAvoy said. "There's no such thing. It doesn't exist. But we can let it exist (for a moment)."

Bergeron's arguably the greatest two-way player of all time, having set a record for Selke Trophies. He claimed Nos. 5 and 6 in his final two seasons.

Rivals gush about his hockey IQ and defensive timing, three-zone chemistry with longtime linemates Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, and nightly habit of dominating in the faceoff circle. The right-handed center, listed at 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, finished with a 58.9% success rate on 22,447 draws.

"Every time we'd play Boston, my back was so sore from faceoffs. He's just so strong," Larkin said. The divisional foe later noted Bergeron "was never out of position. He always had Marchand and Pastrnak flying. And then he's just such a nice guy. He's a class act."

"I don't think I ever made him mad, but he'd be one of those guys where if you'd piss him off you'd want to apologize because he's so nice," Larkin said.

Bergeron's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he's probably deserving of another honor. "They might as well just rename the Selke," said Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar, himself twice crowned the NHL's best defensive forward.

McAvoy put it simply: "Change the Selke Trophy to the Bergeron."

Parting shots

Smilin' Mario: The player media tour is a trip for rookie attendees. Players bop from station to station for promotional video shoots, social-media content creation, and sit-downs with reporters. There's a ton of smiling, which created a conundrum for San Jose Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro. "I'm in the process of trying to get it fixed," a grinning Ferraro said when asked about missing multiple front teeth. "I was supposed to have surgery last week, but I held it off. I wanted to make sure my face wasn't blowing up for the interviews." Ferraro isn't the first NHLer to lose a few then gain notoriety for the old-school look (see: Brent Burns, Drew Doughty). The repair work is more complicated than you'd think. "If you put the (replacement) teeth in and you get hit again, it can actually break your jaw," Ferraro said.

Friendly fire: The Red Wings are one of four teams off to Sweden in November as part of the NHL's Global Series. Naturally, Larkin was asked about the overseas trip. And, naturally, Larkin viewed the topic as an opening to take a friendly jab at not one but two groups of teammates. "I've played with a lot of Swedes. They're kind of like guys from Minnesota. They think (their home state/country is) the best place on Earth," the captain said with a laugh. I thought that was a clever line from the Michigan native. You can picture it: A Minnesotan yammering on to his teammates about pond hockey and cabins on the lake, and a Swede annoyingly pumping up beautiful Stockholm and the tradition of fika.

Hit piece: NHLers spend their downtime in different ways. Golf is a ubiquitous hobby. The league's dads are consumed by their kids' activities. Some, like Tampa Bay defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, love to read. Others, including the Golden Knights' William Carrier, love to fix things around the house. It's unlikely anyone has a more fitting hobby than Jacob Trouba, who this offseason literally delivered body checks to create art. The New York Rangers captain and open-ice hit aficionado recently shared a few of his art-of-hitting paintings and is considering auctioning off a piece for charity one day. "The fun part about it for me," Trouba said of his unique artistic process, "is that it can be one hit away from being done or it can be 15 hits away from being done."

Captain's comment: Defenseman Jake Sanderson's contract extension ($64 million over eight years starting in 2024-25) split people into two camps. Those who watch the Senators closely and are familiar with the nuances of Sanderson's game strongly believe the deal will prove to be team-friendly sooner rather than later. People who barely watch the Sens think it's an overpay for a guy with 77 career NHL games. "For the people that don't know," Tkachuk said with a straight face, "they'll know soon enough." That sounds like a warning, Tkachuk was told. Again serious, the captain replied, "Yeah, it is." Well, you can't accuse Tkachuk of not sticking up for his teammates - and boy does it seem like the Sens have a chip on their shoulder.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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