Pettersson-Miller drama got 'personal' and affected the whole team, says Canucks president
The drama surrounding J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson is a story that just won’t end for the Vancouver Canucks.
The feud was a major topic of discussion at Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin’s year-end press conference on Monday. Rutherford addressed the issue head-on during his opening statement, admitting that the saga, which ended with Miller traded to the Rangers, caused a dramatic shift in the team’s ceiling.
“We had a very disappointing season that we feel bad about… we ran into an unfortunate incident in the first half of the season that hurt the chemistry of our team, and we eventually had to make a trade that we didn’t expect to make and didn’t want to make,” said Rutherford.
“So we went from a contending team to a team in transition.”
There were signs before this season that Pettersson and Miller didn’t get along, but the issue reached a fever pitch this year. Rutherford admitted that it became a dark cloud over the entire team.
“There was lots to it… I think a lot of things were personal. I don’t believe that it was just down to two people, it filtered into the whole team, or most of the team, and it affected the chemistry of our team.”
Part of what caused the tension between the two players to soar this year seems to be Pettersson’s fitness at the start of the year. Allvin, Rutherford, and head coach Rick Tocchet have criticized Pettersson’s training last summer, as he showed up in subpar shape.
“Everybody’s aware that because of injuries or whatever reasons, Petey wasn’t prepared properly for the start of training camp and the start of the season,” continued Rutherford. “I think that became one of the issues here that started to get things firing up.”
Miller took a 10-game leave of absence starting in November. Rutherford confirmed today that Miller requested the leave, and it was not imposed by the team. When he returned, the issue did not resolve itself, forcing the team to take more drastic action by choosing between one of the players.
“This was a situation that wasn’t as easy to resolve in a matter of a day or a week, but when we got to the point that everybody in the organization felt that it wasn’t going to be resolved, we had to look at what all the options were.”
While the Canucks eventually dealt Miller to the Rangers to resolve the problem, that wasn’t a foregone conclusion. It’s been widely reported the Canucks nearly traded Pettersson instead and were in deep negotiations with the Carolina Hurricanes.
“J.T. was getting anxious, and he wanted to make it very clear that he did want to be traded… [but] all options were on the table,” explained Rutherford. “I have the utmost respect for J.T. as a person, as a player. I wish him well.”
“I do think that, in a lot of ways, J.T. tried hard to help fix the situation. A lot of people in our organization worked on it. We had hoped it could get back to where it was a year ago.”
Now that the dust has settled, the Canucks are left with Pettersson as their top-line centre. He had just 45 points this past year, far below the level expected of a player making $11.6 million per season. Management has criticized his training, and this summer, there’s a renewed focus on the 26-year-old’s workout plan.
Pettersson has agreed to stay in Vancouver for some extra training at the start of this offseason. Both Rutherford and Allvin praised the Swedish star for visiting the facility over the most recent weekend and putting in extra work.
“He’s a guy that’s always going to be able to get his points, but can you be a contending team with your top player just getting points? I can answer that question, the answer is no, you can’t,” said Rutherford.
Pettersson has a no-trade clause which kicks in on July 1. Today, Allvin wouldn’t guarantee Pettersson won’t be traded, instead saying he wants to keep “all options open,” but did give a message of support for the struggling centre.
“We still believe Elias is more than capable of coming back [to form],” Allvin said. “It’s encouraging to see his determination, work ethic [over the past few days].”
The effects of the Miller-Pettersson drama will be felt by the Canucks for years. The feud sent this team into a tailspin but with a long summer ahead before the start of next season, some time off may be exactly what the Canucks need to regroup and refocus.