J.T. Miller Compared to Former Toxic Winnipeg Jets Player by Darren Dreger
Photo credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller was compared to former toxic Winnipeg Jets player Blake Wheeler by insider Darren Dreger.
With many reports suggesting the feud between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson is dividing the Vancouver Canucks locker room and hurting the team's performances.
After a breakout season last year, the team can't compete at the same level, likely due to the toxic environment caused by the rift.
It recently reached a new level, which forced Rick Tocchet to get involved, calling out Miller after a bad performance in a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings earlier this week:
"He is struggling. He is caught in between. It seems like every time he is on the ice, something bad happens.
I think he has some bad luck, but he also has some reads that he has to look at himself right now, focus on some of these reads. I mean, you can't dive in on a four-on-four, things like that. I think he is trying, but I think the focus level has to get a little higher."
I think he has some bad luck, but he also has some reads that he has to look at himself right now, focus on some of these reads. I mean, you can't dive in on a four-on-four, things like that. I think he is trying, but I think the focus level has to get a little higher."
Then, Miller opened up on his struggles that are hurting the team:
"It's hard. I'm trying to be mentally strong. It doesn't matter what I do, I'm on the wrong side right now. It's on me. I'm a leader on the team, and the team expects a lot better than this."
According to Darren Dreger, the Vancouver situation has many similarities with what went down a few years ago in the Winnipeg Jets locker room, when Blake Wheeler was the captain:
Wheeler was the captain in Winnipeg for seven years but was stripped of his captaincy and ended up signing with another organization not long after.
A report from 2023 published by The Hockey Writers shed light on what went down:
"For the past few years, rumblings around the hockey world have suggested that the Jets' locker room is «toxic.» Both former captain Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele have been at the forefront of those rumours. Before he was stripped of the captaincy, Wheeler served as the team's leader for seven years. It was as if he and Scheifele were the «top dogs» and everyone else had to fall in line."
Other players asked to be traded in Winnipeg due to the toxic locker room. If the Canucks want to avoid being caught in a similar situation, they should get rid of the problem at its source.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 18 | 218 ANSWERS J.T. Miller Compared to Former Toxic Winnipeg Jets Player by Darren Dreger Do you think J.T. Miller and Blake Wheeler have similar toxic impacts in the locker room? | ||
| Yes | 165 | 75.7 % |
| No | 53 | 24.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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