Even More On The Elias Pettersson And J.T. Miller “Rift”
Chris Johnston of The Athletic (mailbag): The story that feels like it will never go away continues with more pundits chiming in. Now, Chris Johnston suggests a few things in his weekly mailbag.
The fact that they do not always see eye to eye is obvious. However, it is also clear that Vancouver does not want to trade either player ideally. Now, the trick is finding that middle ground which so many dynamic duos have. See Malkin-Crosby, Backstrom-Ovechkin, etc, etc.
Again and again, Vancouver needs to just buckle down and play hockey. Sort out the differences and do what they have to do to make the playoffs. The rest often takes care of itself and yes, winning is a great cure-all.
NHL Rumors: Canucks Reject One Proposal
Also, remember that one rejected offer. That means a few others have been summarily dismissed too.
Why Not More On Pettersson And Miller?
Thomas Drance of The Athletic: Courtesy of his notebook, Drance looks at more Vancouver possibilities. Keep in mind, Vancouver looking for sweeteners and/or prospects like a Braden Schneider only fuels speculation. Imagine how Pettersson and Miller feel at this point. For some it is a business, but for these two is it even more personal?
Several top columnists have opined about the Canucks gauging prices on the trade market. Worse, does all this inner chaos force Rick Tocchet out? He could leave in the summer. Then again, is he helping matters? Now, that may be more worth exploring. Excuses are being made for Tocchet but is all the criticism unfounded? That answer is likely no.
Stay tuned to see what may happen next.
Speaking Of Next
Jeff Paterson of Canucks Army (Mailbag): The Vancouver Canucks have a long road trip ahead of them. A road loss to a tired Carolina team did not help matters on Friday. Vancouver’s biggest problem is health and this team may never see a fully constituted roster. If this feels a little like last year’s New Jersey Devils, one would not be wrong. There are differences but some bottom line similarities.
The problem is everything is great when it all goes right. Once it all goes wrong, the difficulty is climbing, err, fighting back. Vancouver, from players to management, has done a poor job of that. Is that all their fault? No, it is not.
It also does not help that reduced journalists lead to more and more fan speculation. Often, this fans the flames that may or may not be there.
NHL Rumors: Vancouver and New York and More?
The next little bit will tell a lot about this team one way or the other.
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