Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford told the media today that there doesn’t appear to be a way forward with the current roster and the ongoing issues between forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson (as per Gary Mason of The Globe and Mail).
Rutherford told Mason that everyone involved in the situation has tried to work on a solution, including Pettersson and Miller, but whenever the group reaches a resolution, the issues reappear, and the rift grows.
No specific details are mentioned about what is the issue between the two players; Rutherford does say that the issue has had an impact on their entire locker room. Rutherford believes that the issues have impacted the Canucks ability to remain consistent, evidenced by their inability to put a string of wins together. After winning the Pacific Division last season, Vancouver came into the season with sky-high expectations but has stumbled to a 22-17-10 record.
Individually, both Miller and Pettersson have been impacted on the ice as their offensive numbers have taken a severe hit this season. Pettersson has just 11 goals and 20 assists in 43 games, which is well off the career-high 102 points he put up two seasons ago or even the 89 points he managed last year. Miller, on the other hand, has totalled nine goals and 25 assists in 39 games, which falls well below last year’s career year of 37 goals and 66 assists.
The trade talk around both players has been going on for quite some time but it has intensified in recent weeks. The Canucks are unlikely to get equal value on a one-for-one trade of either player, which Rutherford concedes in the interview. He believes the Canucks will have to take whatever assets they can accumulate and turn them into something else. Those words would lead one to believe that Vancouver intends to try and get back into Stanley Cup contention whenever this situation is resolved.
Unless one of these guys slept with other one’s partner there is no excuse for two adults to be such babies. They should just trade both of them and say good riddance
This is a very NBA sounding situation. Pretty rare to hear about things like this in hockey.
Miller should have been suspended by his employer for walking out on the team, And continuing to collect a paycheck, Leadership starts at the top.
I’m just trying to figure out why in the world JR would talk about this while both players are still on the team. Is he trying to make them villains? Just bizarre
Yes, its to cover up the potential terrible coaching that regime has fallen in love with
Welcome to JR 101. The guy says dumb things sometimes
“Well obviously they’re thinking… actually I have no idea what they’re thinking!”
Jimmy don’t give a ….
I’d trade a buchenevich for a pettersson. With other assets to make it work
These guys are:
A) Professionals
B) Human beings
C) Children
D) Professional Children
JT and Petey are babies but Canucks’ brass has handled this abysmally. Why on God’s green earth do they keep yapping to the media? And now to publicly concede that you’re going to lose the trade? Insanity.
In the words of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, “I can’t believe you don’t shut up!”
Slow clap
GMJR is old school. The antiquated idea of “shaming them into better behavior” stopped working decades ago.