The Vancouver Sun
September 17, 2002
By Brad Ziemer

Marc Crawford was asked the other day if he saw Bryan Allen as a potential blueline partner of Ed Jovanovski's. Crawford needed just one word to answer the question: No.

It would have been easy to listen to that brief exchange and conclude that the Vancouver Canucks' head coach was not happy with Allen's work at training camp. Easy, but wrong.

What Crawford didn't say then, but confirmed on Monday, was that he simply doesn't want to put that kind of pressure on Allen, who finally seems poised to claim a spot on the Canucks' defensive corps. Jovanovski, left without a partner when Scott Lachance signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer, plays major minutes and Crawford clearly doesn't think Allen is ready for that kind of responsibility. Throw in the fact that Jovanovski likes to gamble at times offensively and a Jovo-Allen combo seems a recipe for disaster.

Bryan Allen will almost certainly play for the Vancouver Canucks this season, but he will be spotted in situations where the coaching staff believes the 22-year-old can excel and gain confidence.

"We're pretty determined to bring him along the right way this year," Crawford said Monday. "We're not going to tempt ourselves, no matter how well he plays, to throw him into the big minutes."

Allen has had a solid camp and evidence of that came when Crawford named him to the A team that practised together for the first time on Monday.

"I think Bryan has shown a lot of poise and understanding of the game," Crawford said. "He has shown to me that he is at the NHL level in a lot of areas. He still has to improve in some areas. His one-on-one play is something we want him to work on. I think most big, rangy guys get more comfortable with the increased speed of the NHL as they come along."

Allen, as the Canucks know only too well, has come along slowly. Selected fourth over-all by Vancouver in the 1998 entry draft, Allen has played a total of 17 NHL games with the Canucks. The three players taken ahead of him in the draft -- Vincent Lecavalier, David Legwand and Brad Stuart -- have combined to play 763.

To be fair to Allen, a series of injuries -- shoulder, knee and ankle -- cost him the better part of two seasons. But it is not a stretch to suggest that the Canucks are counting on the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Allen to be a regular contributor on the blue line this season. Allen thought that was going to happen last season. He played in 11 games with the Canucks early last season before being sent to the AHL's Manitoba Moose.

"It was near the beginning of the year and the team struggled at the start," Allen said. "In my situation being a young guy it's easy to be expendable and I understood that they needed a little change and wanted to try something different. They brought Justin Kurtz up and he played well and I was happy for him. That's the way it is. You have to pay your dues. It's unfortunate when you get sent down but that's part of the game."

The biggest question surrounding Allen has been foot speed, an attribute that will be tested even more severely this season as the NHL promises to crack down on obstruction.

"I think the biggest thing now, especially with the rule changes, is to be able to move my feet," Allen said. "Being a bigger guy and not being able to hold guys up as much, you have to be able to move your feet. If you keep moving, it will help you a lot."

This is Allen's fifth pro camp and he obviously hopes he's here to stay as a Vancouver Canuck.

"I think anyone who doesn't make the team would be disappointed. I think I'm ready. I want to play in the NHL. I am going to try and make it hard for them to decide. It's going to be a battle."

Captain Markus Naslund said Allen seems to be playing with more confidence.

"I think Bryan Allen has taken a big step and I'd be surprised if he wasn't playing opening night," Naslund said. "He just looks like he is more confident and has probably matured physically, too. I think he looks stronger than he did last year. It looks like he is turning into a man."

Allen skated Monday with Nolan Baumgartner, another former high first-round pick looking to find regular NHL employment. He's rooming at camp with Jovanovski, who Allen says is offering loads of encouragement and advice.

"I'm not taking anything for granted as far as having a spot on this team," said Allen. "This is my fifth year pro and I've learned that you have to earn everything you get. It's been tough at times for me, but I don't know if frustrating is the right word. You can't live in the past. I think I'm ready to play in this league."

The Canucks can only hope he's right and that he turns out to be worth the wait.



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