The quarrel has gone so far that Vancouver's management may be forced to sell or trade away players – whom they actually want to keep – admits Rutherford. He is the head of the club's sports management group.
I felt for a long time that there was a solution since everyone worked on it, even the involved parties, he says.
But it only resolves itself for a short period of time and then starts to creak again. So it seems there is no good solution that could hold this group together.
There have been rumors in recent days that both Pettersson and Miller will be traded, but nothing is clear.
These are two of our best players. Definitely two of our best forwards, says Jim Rutherford, but notes that the conflict between them is difficult to resolve.
Sometimes emotions take over. No matter how hard you try, you can't get over things sometimes. It apparently is the case here.
Vancouver's performance has dipped significantly this year. Last year, they won their division, the Pacific Division. This year, they seem to have to fight hard to even make the playoffs, and then via wild cards.
When you don't have chemistry, it's hard to be consistent as a team. There's too much going on for everyone to be able to focus on what they should, says Jim Rutherford.
The 26-year-old Elias Pettersson signed a monster contract with Vancouver in March last year: eight years, worth a total of 92.8 million dollars. He has been selected to play for Tre Kronor's team in the Four Nations at the end of February.
