Canucks: Three takeaways from Benning and Green’s media availability

Green and team excited for camp and start of season.

Green spoke about the team’s excitement for the upcoming season and how important it is to build momentum early on.

"“Well, I think that’s part of training camp, feeling good about yourself coming to camp in shape, for starters ready to go.” said Green. ” I can feel the energy from our players. They’ve been skating hard for the last two weeks here. Obviously not with us, but from what I hear, they’re pushing themselves very hard. You know, training camps, it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve had one. and obviously, you’re working on your team game. But it’s a little bit different with our team, we’ve got so many new faces. I think that momentum will come from just being together as a team, trying to bond trying to get to know each other. When you start with an excitement level that we have right now that I can feel with our group, it makes it a lot easier.”"

Green was also asked about the Canucks starting the season with a six game road trip and if it was a great opportunity for the team to find chemistry.

"” I don’t know if you ever would pick a six game road trip to start a year, but I’ve said it many times, we worry about what we can control,” said Green. “I think it is good timing. For our team, it’s great with this many new players getting out on the road, especially after COVID. Traveling to cities that we haven’t traveled in a while, it’ll be a good time. We’ve got some days off in between games. I’s going to be important for our group to come together. You know, you talked about winning and what it takes, there’s the internal part of it, as far as caring for each other, working and competing for each other. With with new faces, giving them time to bond and getting that time is going to be a great thing about that road trip."

The Canucks start the regular season on October 13 in Edmonton. Then it’s stops in Philadelphia, Detroit, Buffalo, Chicago and Seattle.  The Canucks will be the first visiting team at Climate Pledge Arena on October 23.

Green also touched on Jack Rathbone, Olli Juolevi  and Brad Hunt battling for a spot for the third pair left defenceman role.

"“There’s three guys probably vying for one spot,” said Green. “Whoever plays the best in the next three weeks will have that spot. It’s pretty simple. They will all probably bring something to the table that might be a little different.  Hunt, obviously, has experience and has gone through a lot of different things in the NHL. Olli we had a pretty decent start to last year, I thought. Hopefully, he’s had a big summer to come back as a better hockey player. Rathbone got a taste of it and we’ve seen glimpses of what he can, what he can do, or what he can become. But that’s the exciting thing about camp, you get to see where these players fit in. The games are big for these for those players. I think the games toward the end, always mean a little bit more than the games at the beginning and you hope you see good things right away. You hope that if you see things progressing, get better as camp goes on. Whoever has worked hardest in the summer, whoever deserves that spot will get it. With the penalty killing, that might play into it a little bit. Quinn doesn’t kill penalties and you’d like to have five guys but you don’t always have that either.”"