In the wake of the Vancouver Canucks trading J.T. Miller, more information about his feud with Elias Pettersson is leaking out.
It’s no secret that the two players were not the biggest fans of each other, a recent interview with Canucks President Jim Rutherford confirmed that, but other Canucks players got involved in the matter much earlier than expected.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, a handful of players held a mini-intervention with the two players on the first road trip of the season.
“I heard that earlier in the year, the Canucks went on an East Coast swing and it included going through Florida,” Friedman started. “I think at one point there a small group of players got together and asked “Can you guys solve this?” and obviously it stayed rocky.”
Another eventful week in the NHL. 😮💨@FriedgeHNIC breaks it all down in Saturday Headlines. 📰 pic.twitter.com/DdNyWIuFbC
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 2, 2025
This predates a lot of the initial events that tipped everyone off to the feud, including when Miller was benched and subsequently took a leave from the team in November. It effectively means that this has been something that has been surrounding the team since the puck dropped on the new NHL season.
Despite all the media around the feud, Miller did not explicitly ask for a trade. He complimented the Canucks organization during his first game with the Rangers. Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin explained a bit of the reasoning behind the trade on Saturday.
“I felt that he probably needed a fresh start,” Allvin told reporters. “Where he was in his life and in his age and with his family, that this was the best option for him and the Vancouver Canucks.”
LIVE: Hear from General Manager Patrik Allvin as he addresses the media. https://t.co/zHZ8mHq0D6
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 1, 2025
With Miller now officially out of the Canucks dressing room, the hope is that the team can get back to playing hockey without any distractions. Pettersson commented briefly on the trade following Friday’s game and there will now be some added expectations that the Swede can improve his play.
We’ll see if the Canucks can find a way to continue their playoff push without the help of Miller.