The Vancouver Sun
September 21, 1999
By Rob Klovance

MONTREAL -- Bryan Allen, who has looked nothing like a sure-fire NHL defenceman in the pre-season, was left off the Vancouver Canucks' exhibition road trip this week due to a recurring knee injury.

Shortly before the Canucks and Montreal Canadiens tied 3-3 here Monday night, Allen, the fourth over-all pick in the 1998 entry draft, underwent tests on a swollen knee that was first hurt last winter at the world junior tournament.

"It's kind of weird,'' the injury-prone Allen said in Vancouver. "It just kind of flared up towards the end of the week in Kamloops [during training camp]. We're not sure what triggered it. But I noticed that it really swelled up after we got back from camp. I saw [Canuck physician] Ross Davidson today and they're not sure what it is. They're going to do more tests.''

The injury is a setback for both Allen and the club.

The Canucks thought enough of the 6'4'', 210-pound defenceman's lone NHL pre-season game last year that Vancouver offered him a contract and a promise to keep him in the NHL as an 18-year-old.

Allen rejected the Canucks' offer and returned to the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario junior league, where various injuries limited him to just 37 games. But Allen, supposedly recovered from his knee injury, signed with the Canucks on May 12 with the expectation he would play in the NHL this season. Veteran defenceman Bryan McCabe was traded in June, leaving a roster spot open.

But Allen suffered a broken foot in July, forcing him to miss the Canucks' rookie camp and keeping him off skates until August. He was a major disappointment at training camp.

"Any time you get an injury, you're going to be a little bit down,'' Allen said. "It's a setback when you're trying to progress but I guess you've got to take it in stride. I'm not sure what they have planned.''

Assistant general manager Dave Nonis said he doesn't believe Allen's latest injury will require surgery, and the club is willing to wait until he is healthy before deciding if he should return to junior for another season.

"`We collectively, the media included, expected a lot out of him and I think he did improve every day in camp,'' Nonis said. "But he's never going to be a flashy player. If people are expecting to see a Ray Bourque, they're never going to see that with Bryan Allen.''



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