The Vancouver Canucks were the top team in the Pacific Division just two years ago, but now they’ve fallen all the way to the bottom of the NHL standings. Much of the downfall can be traced to the rumored tension between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, which eventually led to Miller being traded away.
Now, former Canucks defenseman Shane O’Brien is criticizing Vancouver for moving on from Miller and sinking the franchise.
Former Canucks Blueliner Questions J.T. Miller Trade
Miller’s intense, outspoken leadership style reportedly clashed with Pettersson’s quieter and more reserved personality. While both players publicly denied any serious issues, Canucks president Jim Rutherford later admitted the situation was affecting the locker room and that a trade became necessary.
On January 31, 2025, Vancouver dealt Miller to the New York Rangers.
After the trade, Pettersson and captain Quinn Hughes remained the foundation of the team, but Pettersson’s production dropped significantly and the Canucks missed the 2025 playoffs. This season, after Hughes was traded, Vancouver completely collapsed, finishing bottom of the NHL with a 25-49-8 record and just 58 points.
Shane O’Brien, who played for Vancouver from 2008 to 2010, didn’t hold back when discussing the organization’s polarizing decision.
“You look back a few years ago, and you know they had Quinn Hughes, JT Miller, and Bo Horvat at one point, and then all of a sudden, you fast forward three years later, and none of them are there. It’s like whoa, I would have never traded JT Miller ever. I don’t care what the f**k is going on. I would never trade that guy,” O’Brien said.
He also referenced Hughes deciding to move on from the organization, saying the defenseman had every reason to feel frustrated after everything the season went sideways.
As the organization looks for answers, more changes appear to be coming behind the scenes as well. Canucks legends Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin are expected to take on larger roles within the front office moving forward.
O’Brien believes their involvement could help stabilize the franchise. “It’s nice to have the Sedins in there. They should be in the hockey decisions. Obviously, their jerseys are hanging in the rafters there. They know the city, people love them, and they’re very smart hockey guys,” he said.
He also added that this season was difficult for many former Canucks players and alumni to watch unfold, describing the entire year as ugly from start to finish.
While O’Brien clearly wishes Miller had remained in Vancouver, the organization has already moved in a different direction, and more major changes could still be coming this offseason. Pettersson himself was linked with a hypothetical trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs, a deal Brad Marchand laughed off as a “terrible” trade-off.
