Management must contend with the what if? What if Miller and Pettersson can’t put their divide aside to get the Canucks to the post-season?
Winning solves everything and losing exposes the ugly things.
It’s an accurate assessment to place the stress and strain of professional team sports into proper perspective. You win a lot, and everybody’s happy, or a can at least tolerate somebody they don’t connect with.
You lose a lot, and fingers point and tempers flare.
“I’ve never experienced it to the way that this has got to the press — something in Vancouver where it’s just persisting,” former Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau said in telephone interview Monday. “Obviously, it was there when I was there, and it’s been consistent over the years.
“But I never understand it. I’ve been on teams where there are teammates that you just don’t like and you don’t go over to their houses for dinner, or whatever. When it comes to the rink and you put that jersey on, everybody is on the same side.
“That was the case when I was there. It wasn’t a question of Miller and Petey liking each other, but if something good happened, they hugged each other. And, for the most part, they played on the same line for crying out loud. But the more we make out of it (the disconnect) the worse it is in my mind.
“There’s no doubt there’s friction because the personalities are so different. The alpha (Miller) can control the room, but one of the great things when I was there was (Tanner) Pearson being a real conduit.
If that is indeed the case, then has it got to the point where Canucks management must ponder the what if?
What if Miller and Pettersson aren’t willing to find common ground? What if they can’t put their opposing personalities and oil-and-water existence on the back-burner and fire up a collective desire to get their team to the post-season?
What if it’s addition by subtraction?
Trading one or the other — or even both — is a possibility. The New York Rangers have been chasing Miller for years and the Carolina Hurricanes coveted Pettersson before he finally reached a rich contract extension in March.
However, without a strong one-two punch down the middle, the Canucks aren’t going anywhere now or in the near future. And in a win-now mode, selling the concept of parting with core players won’t resonate with ownership, unless the return keeps that competitive window open.
Whether it’s coincidence or something of significance, Pettersson and Miller have thrived this season when one of them is not on the ice.
Pettersson put up 15 points (2-13) in 10 games when Miller was on a personal leave of absence. The slick Swede’s level of engagement, production and joy was clearly evident in tone and body language.
If losing games is really the thing driving a wedge between players, then a banged-up roster getting healthier for a real run of success should be the salve to heal whatever you want to make of the situation.
Miller was dealing with stuff before the season started, didn’t play a pre-season game, but has also stressed that team results matter more that personal points.
Maybe that’s what is adding to all the growing outside noise.