rikster wrote: ↑Mon Dec 22, 2025 9:25 am
Riksters post.....
Can't make this stuff up....
Sometimes the information is just mashed up and spit out in a jumble because nobody (outside of the locker room) knows the truth.....and those inside won't say anything about it (at least not for a few years). So you have to read between the lines and put it together based upon the observable things like on-ice play, off-ice comments, and decisions like Hughes opting to leave.
The timeline Rutherford gave in his post-trade availability.....18 months ago he was aware that Quinn might not be open to re-signing in Vancouver.
That is right in the middle of Pettersson's decline, the escalation of tensions between Petey and the media, certainly JT was not unaffected at that point, trade speculation surrounding Pettersson, and then boom. No trade. Extension signed at a head-scratcher of a deal. I would venture to say that things went off the rails when it came to any team cohesiveness surrounding Pettersson when he was a complete no-show for the playoffs and then announces knee tendinitis as a reason for his poor performance during his post-season media availability.....and management, coaching staff, and teammates, are all doing a WTF? Everything went completely in the shitter when he came into camp having put in minimal work over the summer. The rest is history. But you aren't going to win the hearts of many teammates when you snub $10M per, then get $11.6M and show up not ready to go.
I find it interesting the report about Hughes being a supporter for him. That would have been more encouraging to have heard a year ago.
Based on the reports I've read, NOBODY on the team has been enamoured with Pettersson's work-ethic when it comes to physical preparation, particularly in the off-seasons. It's fairly well established at this point that that was a problem almost every year, and it is more than safe to say that it finally came to a head at training camp for the 2024-25 season (Millerssongate ensued).
Reports also say that Hughes was one of Pettersson's biggest supporters during and after Millerssongate.
“Certainly for a long time the two were close,” Johnston wrote. “Sources who know them say Hughes played a big role in supporting Pettersson last season when things were well and truly falling apart between the centre and J.T. Miller.”
And reports also backup that Petey did put work in this past summer. However, I don't think many of us have seen much impact from that to his play on the ice. Yes, his PPG numbers are up from 0.68 to 0.78 (last year to this season), but that's not really enough considering his cap hit.....and now he's on IR again. His defensive game and face-offs also have improved, the latter more than the former as last season we all saw his IQ at work south of the center-ice and knew what he was capable of there.
I don't think there was much of a bromance anywhere there to begin with. Hughes isn't the warmest and fuzziest of personalities. He often looks like he's just taken a dose of quetiapine (Seoquel). A hockey nerd? Astute description. Buium's first post-game interview after the trade was a breath of fresh air compared to listening to Hughes.
I also wouldn't be surprised to hear that Pettersson doesn't have a close friend on the entire team.....I'd be shocked if he had many close friends at all. He seems like the type that prefers to be a loner and keeps his circle small. Not an indictment, just an observation.
No teammates showing up for EP's wedding.....not the end of the world, but it is a bit strange considering precedent set by many players on many teams when one of their current (or former) teammates ties the knot during the off-season.
If there is rot in all of this, it surrounds Pettersson.....and I don't say that in a way to throw shade on the person. I direct that to his contract - the AAV, the timing of the signing, the decision by management to force the issue when they did, the failure of management to consider the impact and message that sent to the rest of the team, the selfish nature of all humans and the spillover that has in situations like this.
I don't think Hughes "quit" on the Canucks. I think he is a marquis talent that controls his own future and earned his opportunity to decide his own future. I think that he looked at the direction the team was headed, and saw that even with a rising salary cap, it would be hard to build a true contender here if Pettersson did not return to being the 100 point 1C that he was 3 seasons ago because of his salary. If that report of him supporting EP is true, and I don't doubt it was, and after 12 months of support he's still seeing more of the same, he's gonna go. I bet that if Boeser, Garland, and Demko, were in negotiations for their extensions right now, that they would all be looking elsewhere too. Not because of the person. Because of the situation.
I don't say trade Pettersson because of the player/person at this point, I say trade him to wipe the slate and commit to the rebuild. I also say, flush JR/PA and their crew. If possible I would prefer ownership flush the team to someone else entirely and let this thing be a true rebuild right from the bedrock.