The Vancouver Canucks have made multiple trades of notable players in recent years, not the least of which was flipping captain and former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild last December.
11 months earlier, the Canucks also traded forward J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers after weeks of reports about a rift between him and forward Elias Pettersson; both players denied any conflict, but executive Jim Rutherford confirmed it after the trade.
During the matchup between the Rangers and Canucks on Friday night, Miller was seen jawing at Pettersson following a New York goal, giving credence to those reports that surrounded the club in the days and weeks leading up to Miller’s trade.
Former Vancouver Canucks Forward J.T. Miller Spars With Ex-Teammate Elias Pettersson
Ironically, it was Pettersson who opened the scoring for the Canucks, who are in last place in the Pacific Division standings.
But after J.T. Miller won a puck battle against Pettersson that eventually led to a Rangers goal, Miller was seen jawing at his former teammate. The Swedish forward simply turned and glared at Miller before skating back to the bench.
The fans certainly noticed every time Miller was on the ice, booing him every time that he had the puck. Additionally, they had plenty to say about what their former forward did to Pettersson after the goal was scored.
”He’s such a loser, choosing him over Horvat was such a mistake by this franchise,” one fan said.
Another fan wrote, “You can be intense without being an asshat. He doesn’t seem to realize that.”
“The fact that not 1 Canuck even tried to engage miller tonight is an endorsement of the way the team is. No one cares about each other. If anyone likes Petey JT should have to fight someone,” another fan said.
But this fan had a different take, saying, “Dumb fans. Wtf did they think was going to happen? It’s like getting your elbow up against Mark Messier and then assuming he’s just gonna let it go because you said sorry. Dont light a fire under guys like that duhhhh”.
Keeping in that vein, this fan said, “Way better player than Petey. Anyone with a brain and knows anything about hockey would agree. I get the age difference and why Canucks did what they did but JT is awesome.”
Jim Rutherford Confirmed A Rift Between Miller And Pettersson
In late January 2025, just before the trade of Miller, Canucks executive Jim Rutherford confirmed the existence of a rift between Miller and Pettersson.
“I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved,” said Rutherford. “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.”
“We’ve had those conversations, and I think the parties understand that and I think they’ve tried,” Rutherford said. “As you know, sometimes emotions get deep and as much as people try sometimes you can’t get over it. It certainly appears that’s what’s going on here.”
Former Canucks Forward JT Miller Spars With Elias Petterson