The Vancouver Canucks have fallen hard from the penthouse they were living in last season when they finished with 109 points and made it to the second round of the playoffs. It’s been a rough few months for Canucks Nation as they’ve watched their team crumble amid injuries, inconsistent play, and drama in the dressing room between two of its stars. It’s like last season never happened as they have reverted to the frustrating squads of the Jim Benning era where they repeatedly missed the playoffs under head coaches Willie Desjardins and Travis Green.
Related: Canucks Should Be Sellers at the Trade Deadline
Now, the Canucks are on their third head coach in the last five years, led by a new management duo in Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin, and are seemingly nowhere closer to returning to the glory days of the 2000s and early 2010s when playoffs were a given, not a hope. Last season, it seemed like they had turned a corner and finally found a head coach in Rick Tocchet that could get the most out of the core of Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Brock Boeser. Unfortunately, based on their play in the first half of the season (and honestly since the All-Star Break in 2023-24), it appears that was a mirage. They are still the same team that has frustrated fans for the past eight years.
So, what’s the solution? The first answer is always to fire the head coach. Except, the Canucks have already done that, twice. Next, it’s change up the front office. Oh, right, they’ve done that too. So what’s left? The final straw is to look at the core group that has been around for both shakeups. Are they the players that are going to lead this franchise to its first Stanley Cup? At this point, it’s difficult to say anything but no.
Basically the Canucks can’t look at changing their head coach again – especially midseason. They need to make a major change to their core group, and right now, according to all the noise that’s surrounding the team, it’s one of Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller or Brock Boeser.
Can the Canucks Win a Cup With the “Core Four”?
The one constant that has remained between the two coaching changes is the core of Hughes, Pettersson, Miller and Boeser. Taking Hughes out of the conversation, because he’s probably been the only one that has played at an All-Star level since he entered the core group, the three forwards have all had stretches where they have looked capable of leading this team to greatness. But they have also struggled under every head coach they’ve had from Green, Bruce Boudreau and now Tocchet.
There has to be a time when the organization takes a step back and says, is it really the head coach that’s the problem? Or is this core just not the right mix of players?
J.T. Miller Likeliest to Be Traded…And It Appears He Wants to Leave Too
Last season, Miller hit a career-high 103 points and looked every bit of the finesse power forward Canucks fans have come to know and love. They were chanting his name throughout the season and into the playoffs as he played an emotional and hard-fought game every time he was on the ice. Unfortunately, they have not seen that player at all this season. Instead, they are seeing someone who seemingly doesn’t care as he fails to backcheck, turns the puck over and is generally emotionless after scoring a goal. I didn’t know it was possible, but he looks even worse than the season before Tocchet took over behind the bench.
It’s like Miller is begging to be traded away from this dressing room where he’s rumoured to be feuding with Pettersson. This was a guy that signed a long-term deal in Vancouver and has been dubbed their “emotional leader”. Well, that emotion has largely been absent this season and it might be one of the reasons why the Canucks are struggling so much. If that’s the case, then for the good of the team, general manager Patrik Allvin needs to find a way to trade him. He does have a no-movement clause, so he will have a say in where he goes, but considering his body language, play on the ice and interactions with the media, it shouldn’t be too hard to convince him that moving on is the best thing for him at this point.
Elias Pettersson Would Fetch the Most on the Trade Market
Out of the three core players that could be traded this season, Elias Pettersson would get the Canucks the most assets in return. He’s only 26 years old and has a lot more left in the tank compared to Miller and Boeser. He’s also an established top-six center capable of putting up 30 goals and 70-plus points a season (even though he’s not on pace for that right now). The package would have to start with at least a first-round pick, a young NHL center, a quality prospect, and possibly even another roster player to get a deal done. It would be the definition of a blockbuster and something that would signal to everyone that Allvin is reshaping the core around Hughes – especially if Miller is dealt too.
What About Brock Boeser?
The forgotten man in all of the Miller/Pettersson drama is Boeser, who will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer. He will command a lot of money on the open market and is not guaranteed to re-sign in Vancouver. Considering his status, he should be the easiest to move if the Canucks want to shake up the team and/or become sellers at the trade deadline. A lot of contenders will be looking for scoring wingers around that time and will be willing to pay a premium to get them. As such, Boeser should get Allvin at least a first-round pick, some prospects or a roster player, possibly all three considering Jake Guentzel got the Pittsburgh Penguins a conditional first, fifth, three prospects, and Michael Bunting.
Breaking Up the Core Is Inevitable If Struggles Continue
If the Canucks continue to fall further and further out of the playoff race, Allvin will be forced to shake things up. Whether that is trading a combination of Miller, Boeser or Pettersson remains to be seen, but he should not be thinking of firing his head coach again and restarting with a new voice behind the bench. It might give the team a temporary bump, but as everyone has seen in recent years, the honeymoon period inevitably ends and we are back to square one. All in all, management has to step back and take a look at the core group they have and determine whether they are the right players for long-term success. Right now, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
