Canucks this week: J.T Miller Elias Pettersson feud is real. And it means the end of the Canucks as we know them
“In what was GM Patrik Allvin’s first major move with the organization, the Canucks traded Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders for Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty and a 2023 conditional first-round pick. Fast forward two years later, there is still a debate on this trade and whether or not Vancouver moved the right player.
“Signing Miller over Horvat was already a controversial decision. Horvat had been with the organization his entire career and was the team captain. Despite this, management felt that Miller was more valuable in the long term, electing to sign the former New York Rangers centre to a seven-year, $56 million contract.
But this Hockey News piece also gets into the locker room shrapnel left from the Horvat trade.
“While it is a fair guess by management at the time that a Miller-Pettersson rift would have been solved by now, the fact of the matter is it hasn’t. This rift has blown up publicly and is now being pointed to as one of the reasons the Canucks have struggled this season. Locker room chemistry always needs to be considered when determining which team won a trade. Bringing in the right player or trading the wrong one can mess with chemistry and eventually result in turmoil surrounding the organization. In the case of the Horvat trade, Vancouver clearly made the wrong decision, as the locker room issues remain two years later. Based on what has happened over the last two years, it is easy to say that the Canucks made the wrong decision in trading Horvat. Despite the organization having success over the past two years, which includes a trip to Game 7 of the second round last season, they are back to where they started and could be on the verge of multiple significant trades. ”
“That’s the only way,” the Cherry patriarch echoed his son’s comments about how to remedy the “rift.” He and his son proceeded to talk about how the old Boston Bruins wouldn’t “put up with that.”
“I wouldn’t put up with Pettersson,” he said.
Canucks GM warned Pettersson to grow up
“And look the organization has said this … Patrik Allvin did an interview where he said: ‘We want Elias Pettersson to mature. That’s kind of saying it without saying it. That’s saying he has to grow up and learn how to deal with conflict and things not going his way maybe not everyone thinking the sun shines out of his butt.”
Former Coach Bruce Boudreau on J.T. Miller
“Me and J.T. had some talks about him being the sword a little too often. He’s very hot tempered but at the same time, every party was organized by him. Every thing that was going on at the house (at his) was going on at his house, his kids were always first and foremost, all of those things.
Canucks blowing up the core — but who first?
By Harman Dayal and Shayna Goldman for the Athletic “If the Canucks can only keep one of Pettersson or Miller, the answer should be to trade Miller and keep Pettersson. Miller turns 32 in March and is signed to a contract that spans five years beyond this season. He may not have many years of elite production left whereas Pettersson, 26, is in the middle of his prime.”
Ray Ferraro on when the trade happens
Happy Valley
Trade Trackers
“The New York Rangers continue to aggressively try to reshape their roster. They nearly completed a trade for Miller with the Canucks in recent weeks, with centre Filip Chytil as the centrepiece. But salary retention and draft pick conditions were reported sticking points. If they’re able to create the necessary space — moving out a veteran like Chris Kreider or Mika Zibanejad — Rantanen is the kind of shiny new toy the franchise finds hard to resist. Consider also that winger Artemi Panarin will be in the last year of his contract in 2025-26 at an $11,642,857 AAV.”
Are the Canucks a contender?
“The Vancouver Canucks have seen plenty of teams come forward and inquire about a trade for one of their feuding star forwards, but no move has been made after multiple months. While the Canucks continue to remain patient and wait for the right deal, a new surprising team has emerged as a candidate for Elias Pettersson.
“Pierre LeBrun noted it’s a bit too early to say the Columbus Blue Jackets are front runners for Pettersson, but they are definitely interested in what the Canucks are selling.
‘Certainly, a team to talk about would be the Columbus Blue Jackets,” LeBrun said on Insider Trading. “It’s not surprising because they’ve got massive salary cap space.’
“The Blue Jackets have the most salary cap space of any team in the NHL and were even given special exemption heading into the 2024-25 season. With the untimely loss of Johnny Gaudreau, the NHL allowed the Blue Jackets to enter the season under the $65 million salary cap floor.
“At this moment, the Blue Jackets have a total cap hit of $69,251,059, well below the $88 million cap ceiling. They would have no problem adding Pettersson’s $11.6 million average annual value, and that is apparently their main target from Vancouver.
The Canucks have made it clear they are not willing to entertain lowball offers on either Miller or Pettersson, but teams like the Blue Jackets are looking for a deal that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
‘I think for Columbus, it’s same question as a lot of other teams that have talked to Vancouver have’ LeBrun said. ‘Who is Elias Pettersson right now? Teams are waiting to see if the Canucks bring their asking price down on either player.’”
Net loss
“While Demko’s sample size is small, there are some concerning trends. His mid-range save percentage has dropped significantly, and he has only posted a save percentage above .900 in four of his 12 games. Below is a look at some of Demko’s NHL EDGE stats from this year compared to last season. As of Jan. 29, 2025, Demko was below the 50th percentile in all five categories, while last season, he ranked above the 90th percentile in save percentage and high-danger save percentage. Ultimately, based on NHL EDGE’s tracking, Demko is struggling, with his statistics being closer to most backups than the elite goaltenders in the league. ”
Power Rankings
“The well-reported locker room strife between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller was confirmed by general manager Jim Rutherford this week, lending more credence to the idea that one of the two stars will be traded. Hopefully that will spur the team to earn more wins, as a month of .500 hockey isn’t a great sign looking ahead.”
The Athletic has the Canucks in the middle tier rising seven spots to 16th.
“Aside from the off-ice drama that continues to follow the team, Vancouver’s lack of offence is one of the biggest talking points. Since the start of January, no team is averaging fewer goals per game — 1.83 — than the Canucks. Vancouver is just three points back of the final wild-card spot in the West but our model doesn’t like their chances to make the playoffs this season.”
“5-foot-10 Quinn Hughes could be on the poster for what’s possible with a smaller frame in the NHL today. He could be a significant Hart Trophy contender this season. ”