Although the Vancouver Canucks are off to a great start (3-1-2), there is growing fear that there may be a rift amongst the team’s best players in the locker room. Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal reported this morning that there have been believable allegations of a long-running dispute between Elias Pettersson and JT Miller. Pressure is mounting around Pettersson, who is currently stuck in a severe slump.
Things even appeared to get rough between Pettersson and Miller during practice today, as they fought fiercely for the puck. In practice, some of the cross checks Pettersson was handing out appeared a bit too strong for a teammate. Reporters approached Miller for his comments following the heated exchange, but he gave the topic little thought and didn’t say anything about it.
In the end, it will benefit their team if certain Canucks players are criticising Pettersson for his performance and expecting more from him. Given that Pettersson is in the first year of an eight-year contract for $11.6 million per season, it is extremely concerning that he hasn’t scored a goal at even strength in more over 30 games since the previous campaign. Pettersson has received harsh criticism from many Canucks supporters and the media for playing too much around the perimeter and not shooting the puck enough. The Canucks need Pettersson to score 39 goals and 102 points in 2022–2023 in order for him to fulfil his contract. Pettersson’s performance has fallen short of his expectations, and he needs to work back to that soon.
If some Canucks players are calling out Pettersson for his level of play and demanding more from him, at the end of the day that’s a positive for their team.
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