The J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson saga with the Vancouver Canucks may be coming to an end soon.
When talking about the reported feud between Miller and Pettersson, Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford claimed there is ‘not a good solution’ that would keep the team’s core together.
Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes these statements indicate that a trade involving either Miller or Pettersson could come at any moment as the organization wants to turn the page.
“(Jim Rutherford) is blunt. He’s unafraid. When that interview dropped, I was like, ‘All right, he’s laying it all out for us,’” Friedman said. “When a manager or a team does an interview like that, they are preparing people for the inevitable. And that’s to me what that interview is.”
Multiple NHL insiders have confirmed the Canucks nearly had a deal completed with the New York Rangers for J.T. Miller.
The cause of why the trade fell through has been debated, but Friedman believes it had something to do with the Rangers’ unwillingness to retain Miller’s entire salary.
“Carolina (was) telling everybody, ‘Hey, this could occur,’” Friedman said. “(The Canucks) had a package done with the Rangers, and that one, I think, fell apart over retention.
“So, they’ve been close twice on these guys. Now, close doesn’t get it done. You actually need to close the deal.
The NHL Trade Deadline is on Mar. 7 as the Rangers will have to decide if it’s worth the risk to trade for Miller.
