The Vancouver Canucks lost to the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 on Thursday night. It is their 12th loss in their last 16 games, which has sent them tumbling out of the playoffs. The poor play on the ice has been overshadowed by locker-room drama involving Elias Pettersson and JT Miller. After the Kings loss, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet ripped Miller for the bad game.
“Yeah, he's struggling,” Tocchet said when asked about Miller. “He's caught in between. It seems like every time he's on the ice, something bad happens. I think he's got some bad luck but he's also got some reads, he's gotta look at himself right now and focus on some of these reads.”
He finished his answer with, “I think he's trying. Sometimes I think to focus level has to get a little higher.”
Miller has been with the Canucks for six seasons and is having the worst season in his Vancouver career. He has only eight goals and 21 assists in 34 games and could be traded. But his contract has a no-move clause so if he does not want to move, he will not.
The Canucks could be dealing one of their star centers at the NHL trade deadline. Tocchet's recent comments point to a desire from the organization to end this saga.
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The Canucks should move on from JT Miller
An easy way to get JT Miller to waive his no-move clause is crushing him publically. No one would want to work in a place where their boss is openly saying they are not good at their job. And that is essentially what Tocchet did on Thursday. Coaches rarely name players when talking about team struggles, which you can see from Tocchet in the first portion of his press conference.
The problem is the contract that the Canucks gave Miller at the 2022 NHL draft. His $8 million annual payday will carry through the 2029-30 season and make him difficult to trade. While Pettersson is paid more for longer, he is having a better season and is younger. Even though he is a veteran center that can help a playoff team, it will be difficult to trade him.
