Former Canucks player found JT Miller-Elias Pettersson feud 'annoying and hard to watch'

Former Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi didn’t enjoy watching the drama between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller this season. He found it frustrating and said it made the Canucks hard to watch. Bertuzzi shared his thoughts during an interview with "Donnie & Dhali" on Thursday.

He still follows the team but admitted the situation got tiring.

“I follow them. Unfortunately, there’s just so much drama that happened out there that it was getting kind of annoying and hard to watch,” he said. [6:16]

Bertuzzi couldn’t understand why two teammates couldn’t figure things out. He felt the problem should’ve been fixed before it hurt the team.

Bertuzzi believes Miller is a player every team wants.

“That J.T. Miller, he’s a legit gamebreaker,” he said. "He’s one of those guys that when you have them, you want to keep them.” [6:33]

He was also surprised that the coaching staff didn’t resolve the issue sooner. Bertuzzi has respect for Rick Tocchet and Adam Foote. He expected things to be handled better with them in charge.

The Canucks chose Pettersson over Miller, but things didn’t go smoothly. Pettersson later got injured in a game against the Rangers on Mar. 22. That added to the frustration for fans and former players like Bertuzzi. He hopes the team can turn things around.

“I’m really hoping at some point they get back on the map,” he said. [9:21]

The season didn’t go as planned for the Canucks. but Bertuzzi believes hockey is better when the Canucks are in the playoffs.

Even though he now coaches junior hockey in Ontario, Bertuzzi still loves Vancouver. He visits the city at least once a year. He enjoys the outdoors and would like to move back someday.

“I love the people, I love the city,” he said. [8:46]

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Insider Craig Button raised questions on Canucks' Elias Pettersson's performance

TSN analyst Craig Button shared his thoughts on Elias Pettersson’s performance and contract. Pettersson signed an eight-year, $92.8 million deal in March 2024 and his annual cap hit is $11.6 million. Button said he would be “scared to death” to trade for him.

"$11.6 million for the next seven years on a player whose play has dramatically fallen off? I would be scared to death," Button said on TSN Overdrive.

He said Pettersson’s play has dropped a lot and he is still not a player who leads the team.

"You’re paying a guy $11.6 million and trying to change the environment around him? When I pay a guy $11.6 million, he’s the one who drives it," Button said. "He’s the guy that changes the environment."

Pettersson has 45 points in 64 games this season with a rating of -10. He is currently dealing with an upper-body injury, which he suffered during a game against the Rangers on March 22. Pettersson is listed as day-to-day and out of the Canucks lineup.