It has been well documented the drama that has gone on in Vancouver with the Canucks involving J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. There was a lot of choosing of sides in the Canucks locker room. President Jim Rutherford, GM Patrik Allvin, head coach Rick Tocchet, and captain Quinn Hughes were all tired of answering questions about the matter.
The Canucks decided enough was enough, and it was time for a change. Vancouver traded J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers, getting Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a protected Top 13 2025 first-round draft pick. The Canucks used the pick as part of a package to get Marcus Pettersson, whom they just extended, and Drew O’Connor.
Many inside the organization hoped that Pettersson and Miller could have resolved their differences as they did last year to go on a run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, that was not the case, and someone had to go. But as former Canucks player and Hockey Hall of Fame Pavel Bure stated, he feels this was a failure of management to allow this situation to that point.
“If you’ve got a talented player who doesn’t fit into the team, that’s a failure of management,” he said to RG Media. “If it gets to the point where you have to trade him, something has already gone wrong.”
Was This On The Canucks for Not Creating a Healthy Environment?
This is a great point. As previously stated, these issues go back to when the Canucks first drafted Pettersson. Remember Canucks signed both Miller and Pettersson in back-to-back seasons when they were both pending unrestricted free agents.
Miller’s contract kicked in during the 2023-24 season, where he was paid $8 million over eight years. Meanwhile, Pettersson’s new eight-year contract kicked in at the beginning of this season, carrying a $11.6 million cap hit. Both signed around the same time, near the NHL Trade Deadline.
Vancouver knew these two had issues. But they decided that it would be better for the team if they kept both as it would give them a chance to win. Now granted, the Canucks did try to move Pettersson twice. Both times, the Carolina Hurricanes were involved. However, the Hurricanes were not willing to move Martin Necas.
Before the trade that sent Mikko Rantanen to Carolina from Colorado, the Canucks did have reported deals on the table with the Hurricanes. One for Pettersson and one for Miller. The Pettersson deal would have seen Necas coming back. But as Rutherford told the press before the Miller trade, the Canucks were not winning a trade involving either Pettersson or Miller.
Again the Canucks probably did not want to get to this point. But they did all they could. Remember, Miller even took a leave of absence from the team earlier in the season before the trade. That time away saw Pettersson find his game, since then he has not been the same player.
What Do the Canucks Do With Pettersson?
While the trade chatter has died down in Vancouver surrounding Pettersson, it could easily pick back up. The Canucks do not want to trade him at this point and allow him to find his game. Remember, the mandate is to remain competitive in the West. Vancouver is doing that as they sit three points up on the Calgary Flames at the Four Nations Faceoff break.
The Vancouver Canucks were past the point of no return. Thus confirming what Pavel Bure said. This situation needed to be resolved sooner. If Vancouver wanted to have made this situation actually work, they should have sat down the two players in a room and locked the door.
However, that did not happen, and it got to the point where they chose Pettersson over Miller. Let’s see if the Vancouver Canucks go down a similar path and eventually move on from both alla Cory Schneider and Roberto Luongo.
Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Flames, Maple Leafs, Oilers, Blackhawks
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