The Vancouver Canucks are finally gaining some traction in their game, coming away with wins against the Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, and Nashville Predators for their first three-game winning streak since the beginning of November. They are starting to form some good habits and were briefly back in a playoff spot before the Calgary Flames won against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday and leapfrogged them. Unfortunately, it has not been devoid of drama as the soap opera that is J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson has not been cancelled and got a bit worse after president Jim Rutherford‘s interview in the Globe & Mail. With that, let’s empty the notebook.
Rutherford Makes Waves in Candid Globe & Mail Interview
“I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved…But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again and so it certainly appears like there’s not a good solution that would keep this group together” (from ‘No good solution in rift between Canucks teammates Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, Rutherford says,’ Globe & Mail, 1/28/25).
Related: Insider Suggests Maple Leafs & Canucks Look at Swapping Rielly for Miller
That’s what Rutherford had to say about the no-longer rumoured rift between Pettersson and Miller. Just when some positivity was being injected into Canucks Nation after back-to-back wins over the Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues, their top executive threw a wet blanket on it in a candid interview with Gary Mason of the Globe & Mail. It appears a trade is not only possible, but could be imminent before the deadline in March. While he said it’s not certain the Canucks will move one of them, the writing is seemingly on the wall; Pettersson and/or Miller won’t be in the blue and green much longer.
It’s an unfortunate turn of events for a team that won the Pacific Division last season on the back of their two stars, but it is what it is. If the locker room can’t function with the toxicity of that relationship permeating everything they do, then it’s probably best to trade one of them. Unfortunately, the Canucks likely won’t get full value in any deal considering everyone and their dog knows about the rift and the need for the team to solve it via trade. They had little leverage to begin with, and even more so now that their president has flat-out said there’s a problem that appears to have no solution.
Quinn Hughes Deserving of Norris & Hart Trophy Votes
The Canucks have had a very average season compared to 2023-24 when they won the Pacific Division and finished with 109 points. Their top scorers up front, Miller (103 points), Pettersson (89 points), and Brock Boeser (73 points), are way behind their pace from last season and that has led to a tenuous place in the standings.
One guy who hasn’t fallen into the doldrums of mediocrity is captain Quinn Hughes, who is having another monster season leading the Canucks’ blue line. He currently leads the entire team in scoring with 56 points, a whopping 21 more than Miller, who sits in second with 35. He is also somehow only three back of the team lead in goals, a spot held by Jake DeBrusk. By the way, he’s a defenceman, not a forward. I think it’s safe to say, without Hughes, the Canucks would be flirting with the best odds for the first-overall pick, not a wild card spot.
When Hughes missed four games towards the end of December and the beginning of January, the Canucks looked like a totally different team. They couldn’t move the puck to save their life, the power play was lifeless, and with Tyler Myers and Erik Brannstrom as their most mobile defenders, the pace they played at was generally slow and lacked cohesion. In essence, it exposed the weakness of this team, their defence. Hughes covers up a lot of discrepancies, especially considering he plays an average of 25:23 a night in all situations and has the puck more often than not when he’s on the ice. He doesn’t give it away with a flip-out or dump-in, but rather skates with it or makes a beautiful tape-to-tape pass to someone. Unlike the other defenders, particularly Vincent Desharnais, Derek Forbort, and Noah Juulsen, whose first instinct is to dump it in or flip it out.
Basically, the Canucks will go as far as Hughes takes them, and if they make the playoffs after this drama-filled season, he deserves first-place votes for not only the Norris but the Hart Trophy as well.
Small Sample Size, I Know, But Canucks Are Finally Resembling Last Season’s Team
Despite all the drama surrounding their top two centres, the Canucks are finally starting to look like the team from last season. Yes, it’s only been three games, but they have scored first in all three, protected leads in the third period, and both their goaltenders have been outstanding. What’s more, they have started games on time, not looking lethargic off the hop like they have for most of the season.
Now the question is, can they sustain this for more than just a few games? Every game is now a must-win scenario, given their spot in the standings. They have only 32 games left on their schedule, meaning there’s not a lot of room for error. They can’t go into another slump like they did in January with only five of a possible 14 wins. If that happens, they can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.
What’s Next for the Canucks?
Looking for their fourth straight win, the Canucks are in Dallas to take on the Stars this evening. The Stars are currently third in the Central Division with 65 points and have won their last three games. With a win, the Canucks will again be in the playoffs, but this time, tied with the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific. They will still be in the second wild card spot, however, since the Kings hold the tiebreaker with 26 wins compared to the Canucks’ 24.
