One of the NHL’s more bizarre situations is finally being resolved. Center J.T. Miller has been traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, according to multiple media reports.
Miller and teammate Elias Pettersson, two of the Canucks’ top scorers, have developed tensions between them going back approximately three seasons. The feud largely comes down to Miller’s aggressive leadership style, which clashed with the younger Pettersson’s quieter style.
The two fought during practice in late October, slashing each other with their sticks. Their disagreement has become a significant falling out, which has split the team’s locker room, despite public denials.
In mid-November, Miller left the Canucks indefinitely for what the team said were personal reasons. He rejoined the team after a 10-game absence, appearing in all 23 of Vancouver’s games since then.
The dispute has been a major factor in Vancouver falling from a 50-23-9 first-place finish last season to its current 23-17-10 mark. That leaves them fifth in the eight-team Pacific Division and ninth in the Western Conference, on the outside looking in for a playoff spot.
Concurrently, Miller, 31, put up his best numbers last season, tallying 103 points (37 goals, 66 assists). However, his production has fallen to nine goals and 26 assists this season. He has five years remaining on his contract, set to pay him $40 million.
Pettersson, 26, signed an eight-year, $92.8 million contract last March, but has also seen his performance falter from 89 points (34 goals, 55 assists) last season to 11 goals and 21 assists in 44 games this season.
To resolve the issue, the Canucks had worked out a deal to send Miller to the Rangers, but that trade fell through. Miller has a no-movement clause in his contract, but was willing to waive it to return to New York, where he began his NHL career and played six seasons. Pettersson was also nearly traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in another deal that broke down.