The Vancouver Canucks have had a roller coaster of a season. However, things seem to be coming to a head after President Jim Rutherford commented about a concerning rift between star forwards Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.
The Vancouver Canucks have long been known for their disorganization from the top down. Over the past five years, things haven’t been easy for the team, from management to player relationships. Two seasons ago, the team traded away captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders. The reasoning was that the team was looking to tank and was committed to resigning J.T. Miller instead of Horvat.
This trade, unfortunately, has not worked out for the Canadian team, as the following year, the Canucks shocked the league by having one of their best seasons in a long time. A significant cause of this was captain Quinn Hughes having a breakout year. This led to the organization signing forward Elias Pettersson to an eight-year, 11.6 million dollar contract. Although the Canucks fell in the second round of last year’s playoffs, things seemed to be looking up for the team under Jack Adams winner Rick Tocchet.
The Canucks were looking to replicate their previous season this year. They added players in the offseason, like former Boston Bruin Jake DeBrusk. These moves were made with a deep playoff run in mind. Unfortunately, this season has been nothing but turmoil for Vancouver. For starters, Pettersson, on a brand new deal, has had one of his worst years to date. With just 31 points in 43 games, the forward has a down year at the worst time. Remember J.T. Miller? The guy that the Canucks decided to resign rather than their former captain Bo Horvat. He has just nine goals for 34 points in his 39 games this season. In New York, Horvat has racked up 18 goals for 38 points in 48 games.
The Canucks also are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to playoffs. They sit just outside the second wildcard spot, behind the Calgary Flames. This is not the situation the team thought they would be in headed into February. Sluggish play by their star forwards and drama in the locker room has highlighted Vancouver as one of the league’s biggest disappointments this season.
Things hit a boiling point yesterday when Vancouver Canucks President Jim Rutherford made shocking comments regarding forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson’s relationship. In a recent The Globe and Mail interview, Rutherford confirmed a “rift” between Miller and Pettersson. Rutherford then went on to say,
“When you don’t have chemistry, it’s hard to be that consistent team because there’s too much going on in the room for everybody to concentrate on what they’re supposed to do,”
This is deeply concerning for Canucks fans, whose team runs through those two players. If one or both of them is traded, it could mean the end of an era in Vancouver and their playoff hopes this season.
Maybe more worrying is that captain Quinn Hughes has made it painstakingly obvious that he does not want to go through a rebuild with Vancouver. Rutherford said this about Hughes’ situation during his Globe and Mail interview if a rebuild is necessary,
“If we were going to completely start over, that means he goes,”
Hughes, a bonified top-five defenseman, would be the worst piece to lose in all this drama. Vancouver’s defensive identity would be stripped if Hughes’ goes.
It’s all but certain that the Canucks will move off of either Pettersson or Miller via trade. However, they are two very different players at different career points. Pettersson is six years younger and has shown more upside. On the other hand, Miller has a veteran presence and is on a cheaper deal. Another key piece in this situation is that Miller has a no-movement clause in his contract.
This makes finding a trade destination much more difficult for management. This makes it harder for Miller and even Pettersson to get a good return. Vancouver is in no rush to trade either player and has said they will wait for the right deal. Although it will most likely be at a lower value than what either player is worth.
If I could make an educated guess, I would guess that J.T. Miller is the forward that ends up being moved. Pettersson has much more upside and is younger than Miller. Pettersson has also said he would prefer to stay in Vancouver, which is a good sign. While the Canucks won’t get a return that equates to Miller’s actual value, they should still be alright with the core of Hughes, Pettersson, and Thatcher Demko. Time will tell what will happen in Vancouver, and fans still hope to make a late playoff push.
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