Rangers HC Mike Sullivan reveals talks with J.T. Miller about Elias Pettersson drama, labels him a ‘misunderstood' competitor

NHL: San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks - Source: Imagn
Rangers’ Mike Sullivan calls J.T. Miller a ‘misunderstood’ competitor after Elias Pettersson feud (Credits: Imagn)

J.T. Miller’s move back to the New York Rangers came after a difficult stretch in Vancouver. His time with the Canucks ended when the reported feud with Elias Pettersson left little chance for both players to stay on the same roster.

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Canucks president Jim Rutherford later confirmed that the issue kept resurfacing despite efforts to fix it. General manager Patrik Allvin then decided to trade Miller, sending him back to the team that drafted him in 2011.

Since joining the Rangers, Miller has been given the captaincy. On Friday, Coach Mike Sullivan spoke about the conversations he and general manager Chris Drury had with him before handing over the role. Sullivan explained that Miller’s past, including the situation with Pettersson, was part of those talks.

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“I think J.T. has really taken the right approach to his career,” Sullivan said. “The type of teammate that he is....He's a fierce competitor. He tends to wear his emotions right on his sleeve.”

Sullivan described J.T. Miller as a player who sometimes gets “misunderstood” because of how strongly he shows his emotions on the ice. He made it clear that Miller’s competitive nature is something the Rangers value.

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“His intentions are in the right place,” Sullivan said. “He wants to win in the worst way, and we love that about him. We don’t want that aspect of his personality to change. We want him to be himself.”
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Back in Vancouver, Pettersson also shared his view on the matter earlier this year. He admitted the tension between them became a bigger focus than either expected.

“Maybe we weren’t the best of friends, but we respected each other as teammates,” Pettersson said in April.

Canucks’ Jim Rutherford on J.T. Miller-Pettersson feud

Back in January, Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford addressed the tension between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, confirming that the feud had affected the team’s performance.

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“I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved. But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again and so it certainly appears like there's not a good solution that would keep this group together,” Rutherford said, via NHL.com.
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After Miller was traded to the Rangers, general manager Chris Drury praised him. Drury called Miller “one of the premier impact forwards in the NHL” and said his skill, size, and competitiveness would help the team.

"He brings a unique combination of skill, size and physicality to our team. Not just helps us here in the short term, but will be a key part of our core moving forward," Drury said.

He added that J.T. Miller would make a strong impact both on the ice and in the locker room.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25
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