Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford publicly acknowledged the feud between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson on Tuesday.
Rutherford said there is no good solution to keep the current group together. He confirmed that the ongoing drama involving their two best forwards, Miller and Pettersson, has affected the whole team.
It was the first time the Canucks management directly spoke about the situation since reports and rumors have been swirling for months.
During his pregame media availability on Wednesday, J.T. Miller was asked if he had any thoughts on Rutherford's comments. Predators reporter Alex Daugherty shared his response on X (formerly Twitter).
"I don't have one," Miller said. "I'm not commenting on this."
Although Miller responded bluntly, it is difficult to expect him to say much more than that. At this point, until the situation finally gets resolved, it will continue to be awkward around the Vancouver Canucks moving forward.
The 31-year-old is in the second season of a seven-year, $56,000,000 contract extension signed with the Canucks back in 2022. Meanwhile, Pettersson is in the first season of a massive eight-year, $92,800,000 contract extension signed last year.
J.T. Miller is likely to be traded out of Vancouver
J.T. Miller has always felt more likely to be traded than Elias Pettersson. The 5-year-age gap would favor the Canucks keeping the younger play.
However, it's been reported that Vancouver has been underwhelmed by the trade offers they've received for Miller. The New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes were rumored to be the front runners, but now that Carolina has traded for Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall, that takes them out of play.
Despite the lack of suitors, Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin seem eager to move one or both of their star forwards.
Throughout this turbulent season, Miller has not produced up to expectations. The star center has put up 34 points (nine goals, 25 assists) in 39 games. This has him on pace for 72 points, which would be his lowest total since the 2020-21 covid-shortened season.
For now, J.T. Miller will continue to play for the Canucks as they face the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night. The puck drops at 9 p.m. EST at Bridgestone Arena.