The Vancouver Canucks are having a respectable season, sitting in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 18-12-8 record. However, there's been reported drama between two of their stars, JT Miller and Elias Pettersson.
During Friday's “32 Thoughts” Podcast with Elliotte Friedman, he revealed that the Canucks have already had trade discussions with other teams regarding Miller and Pettersson:
“I do think they’ve talked to other teams about Pettersson. I do think they’ve talked to other (teams) about Miller,” Friedman said. “I think they prefer to keep both guys, they’ve seen what they can do. But they’re listening.”
As Friedman noted, it would take a massive package for the Canucks to move either player.
“These are two guys, in Allvin and (President Jim) Rutherford, who are not afraid,” he said. “But the price would be enormous.”
Despite Pettersson's struggles this season, he's still a key piece for Vancouver. As for Miller, he's having a decent campaign with six goals and 19 assists in 28 games.
Earlier this week, Canucks GM Patrick Allvin publicly called out the likes of Miller and Pettersson in an interview with Sportsnet:
“I think it's fair to say that you expect your best players to be the difference-makers, and the best players when you need them. And unfortunately, I think we haven't got the most out of those specific guys. If those guys would have performed to their capability, I think. . . we probably would have won a couple of more games. So it's hard. Do I expect more from them? Absolutely. I think we've been very fortunate up to this point that some of the other players have actually chipped in and helped us out a lot.”
The Canucks are never shy to make a move and it does seem like they will swing a trade at some point. The likelihood of the club actually parting ways with two of their most important players is low, but you never know what could happen. Instead, they may try adding another forward around this core to increase their playoff chances.