Vancouver Canucks stars Elias Pettersson and JT Miller spark drama at team practice
Vancouver Canucks stars Elias Pettersson and JT Miller got into a heated altercation during practice this morning, raising alarm bells for the franchise.
The Canucks are off to a decent start this year with a 3-1-2 record, but that is only good enough to put them in 3rd place in the Pacific Division behind the Calgary Flames and Vegas Golden Knights. Granted, the Flames are not expected to continue to lead the division, but anything can happen. Perhaps what is more concerning for the team is the fact that their franchise centerman Elias Pettersson is off to a slow start, with just 3 assists through 6 games. Now it appears as though he is growing increasingly frustrated as he got into a spat with JT Miller during practice this morning. According to Canucks reporter Jeff Paterson, the two forwards were whacking at each other with their sticks at the end of a drill, with Miller delivering a cross check to Pettersson at the end of it. Luckily, it seems like that was it though as no other players or coaches had to get involved.
That being said, one fan suggested the Canucks should trade Pettersson after this news came out.
Tensions could be high in Vancouver for a number of reasons right now. For one, the team is actually expected to be good. It is one thing to exceed expectations like they did last year, but now fans are expecting them to repeat that success. Furthermore, they are without their Star netminder Thatcher Demko, who is dealing with a very rare knee injury. Demko was a big part of the team's success last season, as he posted a 35-14-2 record in 51 games. The team did fill the void with former Chicago Blackhawks goalie Kevin Lankinen, but they probably do not want to rely on him to be their number one goalie for an extender period of time, as he has only really been a backup to this point in his career. That being said, he has been very good for the team so far.
All things considered, the Canucks have done well this season. Still though, this scuffle between two of the team's most important players could be seen as a slight against head coach Rick Tocchet. We will just have to wait and see how the team continues to perform in the coming days. Their next game will come on Saturday as they host the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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