Analysts worry for Vancouver Canucks' season amid reported tiff between stars
The team's president confirmed that J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson have differences
Analysts say that the Vancouver Canucks' season could be on thin ice a few days after the team's president confirmed a rift between two of its best forwards.
The Canucks, who are a point behind the Calgary Flames for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, are on a two-game winning streak heading into a clash with the Nashville Predators on Tuesday evening.
But the team has failed to meet lofty expectations that were set for the season after a deep playoff run last season — and recently, team president Jim Rutherford confirmed stars J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson aren't seeing eye-to-eye.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail published Tuesday, Rutherford said the drama had affected the entire Canucks squad, calling it an issue that "festers again, and so it certainly appears like there's not a good solution that would keep this group together."
While both players have denied the rift in media interviews, their production has seen a dip this year.
Rutherford told The Globe and Mail that "when you don't have chemistry, it's hard to be that consistent team because there's too much going on in the room for everybody to concentrate on what they're supposed to do."
Analysts say the feud could mean one of the team's stars gets traded, leading to worries about how potential squad upheaval could affect the team's fortunes.
"It's a massive problem. They've committed their future to these players being a big part of something that they believed could be a Stanley Cup contender," said Dan Riccio, the host of the Canucks Central radio show.
"You were good last year, but now you're changing your mind on that. You're having to do a full 180 and try to figure out how to make this work without the two best players in your forward group."
Riccio says Pettersson, 26, is currently on a $92.8-million US contract, with Miller, 31, being on a $56-million US contract.
The analyst says one of those hefty contracts may now have to be moved onto another team via a trade, given the rift and Rutherford saying it is affecting team chemistry.
"They both have a fair amount of value because they are such great hockey players," he said.
"But Miller, at his age, you just don't expect him to last as long at the top of the league."
Lachlan Irvine, a writer for Canucks Army, said there was a divide among the team's fanbase on whether Miller or Pettersson should stay or go.
He added that if the team does decide on a trade, it could lead to more dominoes falling as other players like Brock Boeser and Quinn Hughes may question their futures with the team.
"There's a real situation here where the Canucks are looking at potentially having blown up that core group again," he said.
"Kind of throwing a lot of positive momentum, or at least consolation prizes for suffering through some tough years, out very quickly."
With files from Liam Britten, The Canadian Press and On The Coast