Canucks Not Taking Low-Ball Offers for Feuding Stars
![Jan 11, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) during warm up before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images Jan 11, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (40) during warm up before a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4894,h_2752,x_0,y_68/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/breakaway_on_si/01jjs27pmdxxwtytf7z5.jpg)
The Vancouver Canucks have been looking to trade one of Elias Pettersson or J.T. Miller for going on two months now and a deal has yet to be worked out. A feud between Pettersson and Miller has reached a tipping point and Canucks have no other option but to send one of them off in a trade.
The Canucks have been working hard in the last few weeks, coming close to a few deals for both Pettersson and Miller, but the trigger has yet to be pulled. While president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford has confirmed the tension between his two stars, he isn’t going to take a low-ball offer just to get one of them off the roster.
According to Darren Dreger on TSN’s Insider Trading, Rutherford and the Canucks would still like to be well compensated for one of their star forwards.
“Not interested in a low-ball offer,” Dreger said after speaking with Rutherford. “It has to be respectable. I mean you’re talking about two star-quality players.”
Rutherford recently spoke about how he and the team have tried to get things to work between the two and for fences to be mended, but nothing has worked out. With no settling of differences, the Canucks have been working the phones around the NHL.
“They’re trying to expedite a trade, but it has to be respectable,” Dreger said. “Especially for J.T. Miller when you look at the fact that he’s got the no-move clause. If they have to carry this thing into the summer, if the offer isn’t good enough, they’re willing to do that. And they appreciate the talent that Pettersson is and will present.”
At one point or another, both Pettersson and Miller have been close to being traded. More recently Pettersson was nearly traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, while Miller was close to being sent to the New York Rangers.
Despite having both players on the block and a level of desperation to get a move done, the Canucks know they deserve a reasonable return in a trade. Pettersson and Miller are both star players not far removed from 100-point seasons and the team would like to be compensated as such if a deal arrives.