Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford expresses concerns about the team's future, citing an ongoing rift between star players J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. The president acknowledges the team's struggles this season and the negative impact of the ongoing tension.
The Vancouver Canucks ' president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, has expressed his doubts about the team's current roster's future, citing an ongoing rift between two of its star players. Rutherford addressed the long-rumored tension between center forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson in an interview with The Globe and Mail published on Tuesday.
While acknowledging that efforts had been made to resolve the situation, Rutherford stated that any solutions were temporary, and the underlying issues persisted. 'I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved,' he said. 'But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again and so it certainly appears like there's not a good solution that would keep this group together.'The nature of the dispute between the players remains undisclosed, but Rutherford emphasized that the drama has negatively affected the entire Canucks team. The Canucks, who finished top of the Pacific Division last season before bowing out in a hard-fought second-round playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers, have struggled to maintain consistency this season. Currently sitting one point behind the Calgary Flames for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, the team has struggled to string together wins or even solid periods of play. Rutherford highlighted the impact of the lack of chemistry on the team's performance, stating, '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.' Both Miller and Pettersson have seen a decline in their offensive output this season. Miller, who achieved a career-high 103 points last year, has managed nine goals and 34 points in 39 games. He missed 10 games in November and early December due to personal reasons. Pettersson, on the other hand, missed six games in late December and early January with an undisclosed injury. He has 11 goals and 31 points in 43 appearances. Rutherford acknowledged the difficulty of trading either player before the league's March 7 trade deadline, as it's unlikely that the Canucks could find a player of equal caliber in return. Should they choose to make a move, Rutherford emphasized the need to acquire another center and 'extra things' that could be utilized in the future. 'We'll have to do the best we can in trades,' Rutherford said. 'Whatever assets you get in return; you may turn them into something else. And we have to work our way back into being a contending team.
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