The Vancouver Canucks have had some serious rumours following their team lately as reports of a rift growing between teammates Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller have been circulating. As the Canucks look to make a push for the playoffs this season, having any issues between teammates could affect their season in a negative way. While Quinn Hughes and head coach Rick Tocchet seemingly confirmed that there was an issue to the media with how they answered questions regarding the situation, both Miller and Pettersson have denied that anything is going on between them, with Pettersson even seeming angry at members of the media for asking him about the situation.
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Pettersson, who is 26 years old, was drafted fifth overall by the Canucks in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft after a strong season in Sweden where he played in the HockeyAllSvenskan with Timrå IK scoring 19 goals and adding 22 assists for 41 points through 43 games. He would return to Sweden and play in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) the following season with the Växjö Lakers HC where he scored 24 goals and added 32 assists for 56 points through 44 games. Throughout his NHL career, he has scored 178 goals and added 260 assists for 438 points through 440 games which comes out to a 0.99 points-per-game average.
Miller, who is 31 years old, was drafted 15th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft after a strong season in the U.S. National Development Team Program (NTDP) where he scored 12 goals and 23 assists for 35 points through 35 games. Through 822 career games in the NHL, he has scored 244 goals and added 415 assists for 659 points which comes out to a 0.80 points-per-game average.
Both Miller and Pettersson have proven themselves to be consistent elite offensive producers, so the Canucks will be hoping they can solve whatever rift they have, if there is one, before it gets to a point where the team is forced to move one of them or take action internally. When they’re both playing well, they have the potential to be some of the best players in the entire NHL and could be two of the main reasons why the Canucks make a deep run into the postseason, as they look to push for their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Would Pettersson or Miller Ever Get Traded?
If the Canucks were ever going to consider moving one of Miller or Pettersson if the issues were real and they had to make a change, a trade could end up bringing them a massive return. Miller’s defensive struggles and inconsistencies have led to fans questioning his value to the Canucks, but his offensive game is elite, while Pettersson’s two-way strength has made him a fan favourite. The issue with trying to move either of them is the fact both of them have no-movement clauses, meaning they would have to approve any deal the team considers making.
With that in mind, trading either player seems next to impossible. While Miller and Pettersson could fetch a first-round pick, a couple of high-end prospects, and an NHL-ready player in return, either of them approving a trade to go elsewhere doesn’t seem likely. So, with whatever is going on in Vancouver, it seems that the only option will be to deal with it internally and hope everyone involved can move past it, so they can try to make a deep run into the postseason.
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