It seems like everyone and their mother has an opinion on the Vancouver Canucks this season.
And you can count longtime Hockey Night In Canada and Coach’s Corner personality Don Cherry among that group.
On an episode of the Grapevine podcast that dropped over the weekend, Cherry offered up his take on the Canucks’ disappointing campaign that has them sitting fifth in the Pacific Division and on the outside looking in for a playoff spot.
“Nobody would want him,” Cherry said of Elias Pettersson. “He’s the third-highest [paid player in the NHL]… he had one good year.”
Pettersson is in the first year of an eight-year deal worth $11.6 million per year, the NHL’s fifth-highest by AAV and cap hit, though third-highest by total cash earned this season when factoring in bonuses.
Pettersson had a career-high 102 points in 80 games in 2022-23 and followed that up with 89 points in 82 games a season ago.
This season has been a more challenging one for Pettersson; his 0.71 points per game mark the lowest of his career, as he’s currently got 11 goals and 19 assists in 42 games for Vancouver. While it might be a decent season for many players, as he’s on pace for around 60 points, it’s far below the high bar of expectations he’s set for himself in his career.
To top it off, there’s been a rumoured locker room rift between Pettersson and fellow Canucks forward J.T. Miller that has led to several trade rumours for both players.
Across six NHL seasons as a coach, Cherry carried a record of 250-153-77 in stints with the Boston Bruins and now-defunct Colorado Rockies.
Asked by his son Tim how he would deal with Pettersson as Miller as a coach, Cherry suggested an interesting approach to dealing with the drama: stop playing both players entirely.
“Send them home. That’s the only way you can [deal with it]. Send them home,” he said.
Given that he didn’t elaborate, it’s not clear if Cherry simply suggested a short term team suspension, a healthy scratch.
(It should be noted that Miller did not play for the team from November 17 to December 12 due to a personal leave, the reasons of which have not been disclosed.)
Cherry also offered up his thoughts on Miller, who played just 14:34 in a loss to the LA Kings last week, his fourth-lowest total of the season, including just 2:55 in the third period. With his reduced ice time, Miller was then spotted sitting at the far end of the Canucks bench after a conversation with Rick Tocchet, which Cherry took notice of.
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“What I really noticed is that he went to the end of the bench,” Cherry added of his thoughts on Miller. “Soon as he started to get heck, went to the end of the bench.”
The 90-year-old Cherry has been off the air from CBC and Sportsnet since November 2019, following his comments about a perceived lack of immigrants wearing poppies around Remembrance Day, comments he has since doubled down on on multiple occasions.
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