A long-rumoured rift within the Vancouver Canucks locker room has since gone public, and some of the early fall out has been significant.
Former Canucks players have spoken out about the ongoing feud between stars Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, and on Thursday, The Toronto Star’s Nick Kypreos reported that the team could be looking at a “major roster change,” indicating the team could start taking calls on Miller.
But earlier in the week, a Sportsnet exclusive interview with Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin was released, where he was asked about the contract structure for Pettersson, whose new contract doesn’t carry any trade protection until next season.
“Well, you know Jim (Rutherford)’s history. We want to build a team that sets us up for long-term success. Building around the long-term deals with Miller and Petey, having Quinn and Demko locked up, Filip Hronek and Jake DeBrusk, I mean, those are big pieces. Petey has shown up to this point that he is an extremely talented, quality player that could and should be a No. 1 centre. I believe in him. I believe that he’s capable. (But) he needs to mature and understand that there are certain expectations and it does not get easier. And you need to face the music when things don’t go well. Is it (a trade) possible? I guess I would say anything is possible.”
Pettersson’s deal, which kicked in this season, is an eight-year pact carrying a $11.6-million cap hit, but the Swedish star hasn’t quite lived up to it so far, scoring 10 goals and 28 points in 34 games, with his per-game rates in each major offensive category falling from last season.
Should the door open to a major trade — which appears more and more likely as the hours, not days, tick by — it would be music to the ears of the Edmonton Oilers. Both Pettersson and Miller are excellent players in their own right, among some of the strongest player drivers in the league and lead the way offensively for the Canucks.
Between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 season, Miller’s 3.45 points per hour in all situations lead Canucks forwards, while Pettersson’s 3.28 ranks close behind in second. But the drop off from there is noticeable, with the likes of Brock Boeser (2.55), and Conor Garland (2.37) being a significant step behind production wise, despite posting solid numbers.
This season, Miller’s 3.05 points per hour lead Canucks forwards, while Boeser (2.92), newcomer Jake DeBrusk (2.92), Pettersson (2.58) and Garland (2.37) round out the top five. While they’ve gotten good contributions from the bottom of their forward group, there’s no denying that trading away one of Miller or Pettersson would significantly change the makeup of this team.
It’s hard to imagine the Canucks winning a trade involving one of these two. For one, these types of trades often don’t return the requisite value for what the star player is. For second, when we’ve heard rumours about other big name players being available in season in recent years, we adjacently hear how “these trades typically only happen in the offseason.”
Either way, Pettersson or Miller departing the Canucks would be a win for the Oilers as similarly to when Matthew Tkachuk departed Calgary for a ZIP code in Florida, it was the removal of a star player from Edmonton’s division. These elite, game-breaking types of players don’t grow on trees, and considering the 26-year-old Pettersson’s in the prime of his career, the Oilers having to worry about him less would be a win.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, and senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
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