The Vancouver Canucks have had a fine start to the 2024-25 season. But in saying this, it hasn't been the sort of start they wanted. The Canucks won the Pacific Division in 2023-24, but are fifth place at this time in 2024-25. Now reports have emerged about a potential rift between Elias Pettersson and JT Miller. These reports have drawn official comment from captain Quinn Hughes.
Hughes addressed the media before his team's game Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. The Canucks captain was inevitably asked about the issues between his teammates. Hughes downplayed the severity of whatever is going on between those players. And he does not see this becoming an unrepairable situation moving forward.
“One-hundred percent I believe it's workable,” Hughes said, via Sportsnet. “You saw it last year, very evident. I think that both of them are going through their own struggles this year. I believe in both of them. They're great players and great people. There's time's where we all get into it but it is a family in here and we've just got to continue this year to push forward and play the way we want to play.”
Canucks not worried about JT Miller, Elias Pettersson rift
Any rift between JT Miller and Elias Pettersson is reportedly nothing new. Former Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau appeared on TSN OverDrive a few days ago. And he admitted to knowing about issues between these players dating back to before he joined the club.
“It is a problem, and I knew they had a little bit of a problem between them before I got there, but I thought that was all straightened out and everything. So, I’m hoping it was a coincidence,” the former Vancouver bench boss said on TSN OverDrive.
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At the same time, there does not appear to be any worry from the organization. Not at the moment, anyway. The Canucks have confidence this is something that can be ironed out at some point. At the very least, they believe this is something that won't become a massive distraction. After all, getting angry at a teammate isn't a new phenomenon.
“Not to beat around the bush because everyone knows what the reports are out there, but I think that everyone expects a lot out of each other,” Quinn Hughes said, via Sportsnet. “There's times I get upset with Millsy, there's times I get upset with Petey, there's times I get upset with Hronek. That doesn't mean that I don't love those guys and vice versa. Over the course of playing together for six years, I think that those things are normal and they're going to happen.”
The Canucks have Stanley Cup ambition in 2025. And they proved that they can put in a legitimate challenge during the postseason last year. Any rift or issues between players in the locker room certainly doesn't help matter, though. This is a situation fans may want to monitor over the next few weeks as the playoff race really begins to heat up.
