January 25th, 2025
Alex Rickman
Does anyone else’s brain hurt?
The last few weeks have been an absolute rollercoaster for Canucks fans, with a few big wins against the Maple Leafs and Oilers serving as the few highs in a sea of lows. From a shocking lack of work ethic and pushback on the ice to trade rumours swirling about just about every member of the Canucks core not named Quinn, it’s been hard to make sense of all of the noise surrounding this team. Add in Friday night’s blockbuster deal between the Avalanche, Hurricanes, and Blackhawks, and these are very confusing times for fans around the league, but especially in the Pacific Northwest.
Is there anything we can make of what’s been going on to try and figure out what may actually be going on in Vancouver? No. No there is not. But is that going to stop me from trying? Absolutely not. Let’s try to get to the bottom of this mess and see if we can figure out even a single thing about what’s going on in Vancouver right now.
JT Miller Rumours
JT Miller is almost certainly on his way out, but what seemed absolutely certain a few short days ago has become less of a tap-in. Reportedly, the Canucks had a deal agreed with the New York Rangers to send Miller to the Big Apple in exchange for Filip Chytil, a 1st, and a prospect, but this deal fell through due to a disagreement about either protection on the pick or salary retention on Miller, depending on who you ask. Now, it’s been reported that multiple teams are interested in Miller and that the Canucks have had some very serious talks with some teams, but nothing has come to fruition yet.
It seems as if since the Rangers deal, the Canucks are yet to receive what they believe to be an adequate deal. With players like Chytil and Jesperi Kotkaniemi being among the best names being thrown around in these rumours, it’s not hard to see why the Canucks aren’t exactly jumping at any of the offers on the table, but therein lies the problem. It seems as if Miller is now very much ready to move on, but the Canucks are now struggling to find a buyer who isn’t trying to nickel and dime them. Miller’s play has been taking a hit lately, and will presumably not improve urgently unless a resolution is found to the issues plaguing him and the team. If he can’t play his value up, the Canucks are going to have a very hard time getting what they think Miller is worth, and may even see the offers get worse than where they are right now.
So where do the Canucks go from here? Can holding onto Miller, potentially past the deadline and into the offseason, do the team much good, or is a quick resolution of more value to the Canucks than getting full value in return? To know the answer to this, along with other questions, we’ll have to take a look at a few more of the rumours around this team.
Elias Pettersson Rumours
It seemed as if the Canucks choice had been made. It looked like JT Miller would be the one to go, while Elias Pettersson would be the one chosen to remain a Canuck. On Friday, however, everything changed. It was reported that the Canucks were still engaged in trade talks surrounding their struggling $11.6 million man, and eventually, an even more surprising rumour came to light. Per reports from Elliotte Friedman, the Canucks were discussing two potential trades with Carolina before the Canes pulled the trigger on the deal with the Avs for Mikko Rantanen. One of these deals was, unsurprisingly, centred around JT Miller. In a more surprising twist, however, the other would’ve seen Elias Pettersson move to Carolina, with Martin Necas as part of the return for Vancouver. Necas was also reportedly not on the table for the deal centred around JT Miller.
Cam Robinson has reported that the Canucks ask for Pettersson was higher than what Colorado was asking for Rantanen, which is surprising in some ways and very believable in others. On the one hand, Pettersson is a younger player and plays centre, and is under contract beyond this season, taking away the risk the Canes run with Rantanen of giving up major assets for a rental they may lose for free in July. On the other hand, and I’m going to be frank here, over the last year, Elias Pettersson has been one of, if not the single most disappointing player in the NHL. Over the last 82 games he has played, postseason included, EP40 has scored less than 60 points. For the fifth highest-paid player in the sport, that’s unacceptable. Ultimately, the Canes went another way with it, but knowing what we know now, I don’t think it’s impossible to imagine the Canucks parting ways with Elias Pettersson.
But wait, there’s more! Cam Robinson has also stated that he believes if Pettersson gets moved, the Canucks will STILL part with JT Miller. What seemed like a simple retool not long ago may have turned itself into an all-out teardown of this core as we know it! The odds of this all happening between now and the trade deadline aren’t especially high, but at this point, expect the unexpected.
Thatcher Demko Rumours
Friday was one hell of a day. On Sportsnet 650’s Canucks Talk, Kevin Woodley dropped an absolute bomb, saying that Thatcher Demko’s name is out there, and has been connected to the Carolina Hurricanes. Some have been saying that they believe Demko is unhappy, but hearing this was a shock, and has created further worry among Canucks fans that more than a retool may be on the cards. These reports are all fairly new, and we don’t know the extent to which the Hurricanes have been in contact with the Canucks over Demko, or if Vancouver is even willing to consider moving Demko. However, with everything going on right now, it’s not hard to see why this has sent fans into an uproar.
With the recent reports that the Canucks are hoping to bring back Kevin Lankinen after this season (much to the chagrin of our own Trevor Steunenberg), it’s possible that this organization, for one reason or another, feel the need to prepare themselves for a future without Thatcher Demko. Whether they believe his iffy form this year is indicative of what the future will look like for him or if it’s because he may be on his way out of town (or perhaps both), or some other reason, it’s possible that a crease that a few months ago seemed to clearly belong to Demko may be changing hands sooner than expected.
Moving Demko would be an incredibly risky manoeuvre, especially with his value likely low at the moment due to his questionable play since his return from injury. However, if Demko is in fact wanting a change of scenery, or the front office don’t believe that the Vezina calibre Demko we saw pre-injury will be the Thatcher Demko we see in Vancouver going forward, maybe a move makes sense while he still presumably has some value. However, with everything going on in Vancouver and across the league right now, it’s hard to make sense of how much to buy into this rumour.
Brock Boeser Rumours
Yet another key player has been linked to a move away from Vancouver. In the midst of the chaos surrounding the Miller and Pettersson rumours, reports that the Columbus Blue Jackets are interested in the impending UFA have gone somewhat under the radar. While this may not be the most surprising, with Boeser set to hit unrestricted free agency in July and contract talks not seeming to have been especially productive between the Canucks and the player, the lack of coverage this rumour has received is noteworthy. Boeser is the Canucks longest-tenured player and is coming off a 40-goal season, and may now find himself on the move, despite his love for Vancouver being apparent to anyone who watches him play.
As hard as it would be to see Boeser in another jersey, this one feels like it may be a necessary evil. Boeser is likely to earn around $8 million annually on his next deal, and as good as he can be, it would be hard for Vancouver to justify giving him that deal. We know that Brock can be one of the most lethal shooters in the league when he’s on, but for a player who’s only scored more than 30 goals once in his career and has been plagued with injuries and inconsistency, it might be in the Canucks best interest to sell high while they can and restock the organizational cupboards. Jonathan Lekkerimäki has looked impressive in his admittedly brief time in the NHL and looks to be the heir apparent to Boeser’s role. Maybe next year, it’s time to give Lekki a full chance to prove himself in that spot.
Is there anything we can make of these rumours? No, not really. I hate having to end this article without a clear answer, but the situation around this team is currently so murky and chaotic that it’s impossible to guess what may come next. However, Canucks fans should brace themselves for a blockbuster deal to take place in the coming weeks. Be it Pettersson, Miller, Demko, Boeser, or even a mystery deal of some sort, something big is coming, and all we can do now is hope for the best.