Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford instructed the media Tuesday that there doesn’t seem like a method ahead with the present roster and the continuing points between forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson (as per Gary Mason of The Globe and Mail).
“I felt like for a very long time that there was an answer right here as a result of everyone has labored on it, together with the events concerned,” Rutherford mentioned. “Nevertheless it solely will get resolved for a brief time period after which it festers once more and so it actually seems like there’s not a great resolution that may preserve this group collectively.”
Rutherford instructed Mason that everybody concerned within the state of affairs has tried to work on an answer, together with Pettersson and Miller, however every time the group reaches a decision, the problems reappear, and the rift grows.
No particular particulars are talked about about what’s the situation between the 2 gamers; Rutherford does say that the difficulty has had an affect on their total locker room. Rutherford believes that the problems have impacted the Canucks potential to stay constant, evidenced by their incapability to place a string of wins collectively.
After successful the Pacific Division final season, Vancouver got here into the season with sky-high expectations however has stumbled to a 22-17-10 file.
Individually, each Miller and Pettersson have been impacted on the ice as their offensive numbers have taken a extreme hit this season. Pettersson has simply 11 targets and 20 assists in 43 video games, which is effectively off the career-high 102 factors he put up two seasons in the past and even the 89 factors he managed final 12 months.
Miller, however, has totalled 9 targets and 25 assists in 39 video games, which falls effectively under final 12 months’s profession 12 months of 37 targets and 66 assists.
The commerce discuss round each gamers has been happening for fairly a while nevertheless it has intensified in latest weeks. The Canucks are unlikely to get equal worth on a one-for-one commerce of both participant, which Rutherford concedes within the interview. He believes the Canucks should take no matter belongings they’ll accumulate and switch them into one thing else.
These phrases would lead one to consider that Vancouver intends to try to get again into Stanley Cup competition every time this case is resolved.
