Halford & Brough in the Morning - Bombshell News From JR On The Future Of The Canucks Core

Episode Date: January 28, 2025

In hour three, Mike & Jason talk the latest around the Canucks with NHL analyst Ray Ferraro (2:14), plus they react to some breaking news from Jim Rutherford in relation to the Canucks core (27:03). This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Ferraro, Ferraro, let's chat with Ray Ferraro. It's time for Ferraro, let's talk to Ray Ferraro. Ferraro winds up with a shot, SCORE! Ray Ferraro, breakaways on site, SCORE! Rebound score! Ray Ferraro! Ferraro, Ferraro, it's time for Ray Ferraro. Let's chat with Ferraro, it's time for Ray Ferraro. In a one on a Tuesday, happy Tuesday everybody, Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650.

Halford and Brough of the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda, Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking for, sales, financing, service, or parts. We are in hour three of the program. As the music suggests, Ray Ferraro is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off hour three. Hour three is brought to you by Campbell & Pound, real estate appraisers.

Trust the expertise of Campbell and Pound. Visit them on the internet at Campbell-Pound.com today. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio. Kintec footwear and orthotics working together with you in step. Okay, so real quick here. We are doing two giveaways while Ray is on the phone. Hopefully it won't crash our system,

but we're also gonna do a phone call. And right now, Adog is taking callers for the nine inchch Nails tickets. They're back on tour. They'll be in Vancouver this August. If you wanna win tickets, it's the last day, the last day that we're giving away a pair of tickets to see Nine Inch Nails.

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So you have to wait. 815, call 604-280-0650. Okay, to the phone lines we go. Ray Farrar joins us now on the Haliford and Brush Show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, Ray. How are you? I'm doing well.

How are you guys today? We're doing pretty well. We're enjoying the fact that the Connex have won two in a row for the first time in a while. But I wanted to talk to you about scoring goals in the NHL. You scored a lot of them. You also had that one pretty good season with the Brandon Weedkings where you scored 108 goals in 72 games. Where did you score most of your goals from? Like which part of the ice?

What was your speciality? What was your speciality? What was your speciality? What was Where did you score most of your goals from? Like which part of the ice? What was your specialty? Now obviously there's no, uh, there's no video of a lot of this, but, um, most of them were from about four and a half feet. Right.

Like there's nothing really spectacular about them. Like I didn't have a great shot. Um, you know, I wasn't beating anybody from 35 feet. Um, I had to, I had to kind of weasel my way in there and, you know, scratch around to rebounds and, um, you know, find a hole and dodge in and out. I would say not, not this similar, uh, then Garland, uh, like he, he scores every goal from a foot and a half. Right. And every once in a while he gets a, you know, gets a, you know, a chance

that he beats a goalie clean, but most of the time they're, you know, they're in tight and the only way you score it,'re in tight and the only way you score, like honestly, the only way you score is to get yourself into the middle of the ice. Like there's just, there's no other way to do it. So here's my question and I knew that was going to be your answer. Um, why can't the Canucks seem to get to the

inside and score goals or even generate chances consistently to the point that people are arguing, is it the players or is it the coach's fault here? Okay, okay. This, I didn't know you were going to ask me this. I'm glad you asked me this. There was no system that I have ever heard of that says, stay on the boards and never go to the front of the net.

I've never heard of it. It's absurd. If people think that the coaching staff is telling the players when you have the puck five feet from the net, pass it 60 feet from the net. Like, like, what are we talking about here? Like this is where it honestly, it, it drives me up the net. Like, like what are we talking about here? Like this is where it honestly, it, it drives me up the walls. People that think they know that don't. They don't.

And I'm not in those meetings either. Like I'm watching this thing about the Kansas city chiefs and the bills the other day, the last play that Josh Allen took a long pass down on fourth down, and why didn't he just pivot his hips? Look, here's a still photo. Why didn't he pivot his hips and hit Shakir out on the flat on the left? Because there's two guys and a third coming

that all weigh 220 pounds that are coming super fast, and you have a second to make that decision. And things get eliminated from your thought process like you can't even believe how fast it happens so the reason guys don't get into the middle I think they get caught watching they stop moving their feet because they're looking for the next play you see when a player you can when a player, you can never touch confidence, right? You can never touch it, but you can see it. When you see a guy that's confident,

he comes around the back of the net and he just knows where he's going with it. When you see a guy come around the back of the net and his feet separate, and now he's looking and searching, nothing's gonna happen. Most times, nothing's gonna happen,. Most times nothing's going to happen. Right? So I think the Canucks have gotten into a place where they've been timid, offensively, they don't want to turn the puck over.

They don't want to chase the puck back into their zone. So the safe play is always to go back. Because if you look at the way teams defend, the place that's open is the upper part of the ice. Right? Like top of the circles out. So that's always open, but it takes confidence, it takes courage, it takes aggression. And I don't mean courage like, oh, I got to fight like physically fight, courage to make

a play because you don't want to be the guy turning it over. And so if you lack that courage, you lack that initiative to make the play. And one, like I'll bring up Garland again, he is never at a lack of confidence. Right? Never. If he sees a space or a sliver of light, he's going to dive into it. And if you say, why don't other guys do light, he's going to dive into it. And if you say, why don't other guys do that? It's because everybody's built different. It's what we look around the league. Why do some guys get to the front of the net?

Some guys don't. Why do some guys, you know, protect the puck and others just get rid of it? It's all in the makeup of the player and not everybody's the same. OK, well, actually ties in nicely to what I wanted to ask you, because some people have said, maybe it's a personnel or roster makeup thing. And I guess the immediate pushback would be like,

any personnel can do these things. Sure, some players might be physically built better to do the things, but it sounds like you're suggesting it's more of a, I hate throwing around mindset because it's kind of a nebulous term, but it's more about like the will and want to do it as opposed to like the physical makeup necessary to do it. Anybody can do it. Some people just like it's not in them to create a play. Like, um, Eddie Blugher is not going to try the same play as JT Miller is, or

Elias Patterson, like he's just not even going to try it because most players know what they are and he's, he would be thinking, I can't turn this puck over because I'm never going to play. Like my job is to prevent goals. If I score, that's great. My job is to prevent goals. If I score, that's great. But my job is to prevent goals. And so every player has to view that, view the creation of often in their own space, in their own lane.

Right? So along with that, if you get burned a couple times, like trying to make a play, now you're going to try it less. So now that you try it less, your mindset, you know, to a soccer term, you get back on your heels. You're right. You play on your back foot. You don't play on your front foot.

It's the simplest thing and the hardest thing at the same time is like, just be aggressive, make a mistake of aggression, not a mistake of being passive. Yet anybody that's played at this level knows that you can get your courage knocked out of you in a hurry to make a play. When the puck's in your net and you're the guy on the, you're the guy responsible, that pulls the stuffing out of you in a hurry. When you would lose confidence with your game, I'm sure it happened from time to time.

Oh, often. Um, did you, did your feet stop moving? Did you stop skating to spots with the puck? And did you start looking to just give it to someone else and maybe they'll do something good with it? Well, the crazy part is when, like when I would lose confidence, the puck was not my friend. Like it seemed every time I had it, the decision

I made with it would be the wrong one. Try a pass that's not there. Uh, try to force a play, um, to create a chance when it's really not there. The longer you go without scoring anybody, like it doesn't even matter if you're a scorer or not, but like you, I'll use Holglander for an example. Do you think he's got any confidence?

No. He's got one goal in 40 games or whatever it is. So every time he touches the puck, you you think he's got any confidence? No. He's got one goal in 40 games or whatever it is. So every time he touches the puck, you know, he's thinking, I gotta make the right play. I gotta make the right play. If you're trying to be perfect, you've got no chance. Like the two minute or four minute penalty he took last night, that could only happen to him right now.

Yeah. Right. Like, you know, like what I saw there was him, I'm like, well, of course it's him. He's trying so hard. If he, if you could get it in your head guys to try less, he'd be way better off. But how do you try less? Well, we could show him. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, you hear all the time, these

guys just need to relax and make a play or this guy needs to relax and he'll hit better or whatever it is. Oh my God, that's impossible. Like you can try and I'm sure the guys were more relaxed last year offensively than they were this year. Right? You've got that whole list of guys, it's no goals in eight, one goal in nine and half of them scored last night and gee, and you win.

Right? The only way you get confidence is to make a few plays, to see a positive result, to see yourself, see your own video and go, oh yeah, I can still do it. Like it is a professional season is a mind game with yourself. Like you can probably guess, but oh my God, it's, it can be torturous to try and beat yourself up when you're, when you're in the pit. So what is Rick Tuckett's responsibility in all this?

I mean, he's still the coach, he's still the guys that, he's still the guy that's, you know, part of his job is motivation and part of his job is to get guys to buy in. Um, you know, I don't think we're, uh, we're absolving him of any responsibility here when we say like, you know, there's no system that says, you know, keep it to the outside and shoot from

the point, um, clearly it to the outside and shoot from the point. Clearly has to be part of the solution. And if he's not part of the solution, then he's part of the problem. So what does he do here? You keep reiterating, you keep showing, you keep trying to build. When the puck's here, it's got to go here. We've got to find a way to drive ourselves into the middle of the ice. And

so he can only repeat it and repeat it and repeat it. And eventually somebody's going to make a play in that group of guys that hasn't scored and it'll work. And that guy now takes one step towards being confident. The other thing that confidence does, you know, we talked about moving your feet or lack of confidence rather, you always think you're open because you've moved into ice nobody cares about. Like you are open, but now if you really look at it, there's two guys between you and the passer. The guy without the puck is almost the most important guy in the zone. Like he's the guy that creates the space,

not the guy with the puck. Let's take Quinn out of the equation. He's just different than 99% of the players. There's probably 10 players in the league. And I don't even think there's 10 that can do what they do. McKinnon, McDavid, Hughes, McCarr, like you're talking about the guys that just separate the ice all by themselves. Yeah. It's incredible what he does, what he can create.

I said on the game on Saturday, I go, sometimes the city just gets lucky to watch a player with greatness and like both the goals he scored the other night against Washington. I'm like, who, who does that? It's like he's like, well, he's just different than everybody else. So, Bret Hull taught me this when I'd never thought of it. We were doing TV together. Hulley did it for one year. He could have been a star if he wanted to do it. He just didn't want to do it. But we're

watching the game and he goes, you know, in that voice of his and he goes, why is this guy standing over here? Useless. And you look and you're like, oh yeah, the guy's got a stick in the air. Like he wants to shoot the one time you couldn't get a puck through the traffic to him with a bazooka. And it's, but the guy in that moment thought he was open. I see, I see that a lot with the Knuff guys. Yeah. Like that are struggling, like they think they're in the right place, but

really they've got to move to the other side of the defender. And you don't just get to move there. Cause the guy's not going to let you get there. Like it's hard, really hard. But as you know, talks always said, you got to embrace the hard. Well, it's a simple phrase, but it's really kind of true. Did you watch the Canucks game last night, Ray? Did you have? Oh yeah.

Yeah. Okay. So did you notice on JT Miller's breakaway goal, he had to move his feet to get to the open ice. And frankly, it was an easy pass for Quinn Hughes to make for a player of Quinn's caliber. Like it was like a quarterback hitting a wide open receiver.

But if Miller does not pivot and move his feet into the open ice where the blues were. That's what I'm talking about. That's what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter if Quinn can make the pass. Doesn't matter because there's nobody there. Yep. There was a shift right after, uh,

Garland got his second goal. He could have had his third one like three times on the same shift. If, if people want to take a look at what moving your feet is, he intercepted a pass. He took a turnover. He went to open ice and create it. Like he did it three times.

I'm like, oh my God, that's one of the best shifts with no result that you'll ever get. And there was so many, so many examples last night, the suitor short handed roll. Um, somebody came off the ice and changed killing the penalty. And that's why suitor was up in the area. He was, he came onto the ice and you's why Suna was up in the area he was. He came onto the ice and he button hooked around as soon as Myers flipped the puck off all

the way stick. But that whole sequence is him moving his feet. He came off the bench, he came back into the zone, he turned and came all the way back up and now he had to break away. But if he doesn't skate, he doesn't skate back into the zone, he turned and came all the way back up and now we had to break away. But if he doesn't skate, he doesn't skate back into the play, there's no play. I'm telling you guys, it seems so easy and yet there are times you look at yourself on video and you go, what the hell am I doing? I'm just standing there. You think you're doing it.

You really do. You look at it and you go, oh my God, what am I doing? It's like looking at your golf swing on video. Oh, that's one of the most horrific things of all. Yes, it's sad. You think you've got a nice, flowy backswing and it looks like you're chopping vegetables. Yeah. Like this thing sucks. I will say, I would like to add on moving your feet.

The power play goal that the Canucks scored, Brock Besser moved his feet to get into that spot where Miller could give them the pass. He shoots it. Pedersen and Garland are at the net and Garland finds a way to tap it in. That was another place where a player moved his feet and like you said, to get

open and that hasn't been happening enough on the coach's power play. Right, he moved five feet though. It's not like he moved 30, he just moved himself into a shooting spot and the blues couldn't, they didn't read the play, they didn't react quick enough. But if he doesn't move his feet, you're just

like standing and like getting onto a subway. It's it's a whole bunch of all jammed together he moves five feet I thought I have thought the best bumper player I've ever seen is Patrice Bergeron the best he would move himself a couple of feet here a couple of feet here there'd be a loose puck he he'd go battle for it, then he'd get back out. Just think of how many times he would touch the puck in the bumper spot. And it created all kinds of chances. If I was thinking about who I would want my bumper player to play like, I would go get a bunch of clips of Patrice Bergeron. I think nobody's done it better.

We don't usually focus on the opponent after these games unless it was kind of alarming and that's why I got to ask you, what did you think of the Blues last night? They look like they're searching a bit, don't they? Yeah, yeah, big time. Well, Montgomery especially, right? He's pulled out every trick in the book now in the first period. Apparently the game prior on the weekend against Dallas, he called a timeout like seven minutes into the game to try and shake a lot of whatever was going on. Well, just think though, that fight, Shannon Miller, they gave up the early goal last night.

They'd given up two the game before. Like, this is, you're right, there's only so many tricks in the bag. And then eventually the guys have to make the right play. They've gotta make enough right plays. But he's got that look behind the bench, like not real thrilled with what's going on right now. I mentioned Dallas there. So you've got Dallas in Vegas tonight, correct?

Yes. What are we expecting? Because the Canucks are gonna play the Stars on Friday night in Dallas. Man, it's a good team. It's not the team I think they're going to be. When they get closer to the deadline, like they're missing a couple of forwards

that really hurt that are out. Marchment is gone and won't be back. I don't think before the break, maybe one game, but he's not back yet. He has, you know, he's got 12 goals this year. They missed Sagan a lot. He had a great start and then had hip surgery, but they're just deep.

They just, I don't know, they're just good. And what they've done is they've integrated a bunch of young players into their lineup that I think will be better later in the year, but they've struggled. Like Stankhoven, Bork, they've really struggled offensively. Even Wyatt Johnson, who I think is awesome. In 32 goals last year, he's got 11 this year. They're going to be a really good team. They're a good team already. They're

a good team already. But I think they'll be better as they get towards the deadline. They got some cap space to play with too. One more preview before we let you go. A week today, it's the Colorado Avalanche who are going to be in Vancouver to take on the Canucks. We spent a lot of time earlier in the show speaking with, among others, Greg Wyshinski about the big trade that they had sending Mikko Rantanen to Carolina. So, Wish kind of floated the idea that maybe Colorado is thinking like, you're not gonna get

100% of Rantanen back in return, because he's the best player in the trade. Maybe you get like 85% of them back if you put Natchez on the line with McKinnon. But I wanted to ask you about Rantanen, because I saw that Adrian Dator reached out to you to ask about random Where do you put him on like that pantheon of players and league like I think? Probably like a top 10 guy just on the production

But like as an actual player like the size the physicality the ability to do the things that he's done like how elite is Meek around and how much of the Avs gonna miss him now that we get to see them in a week here in Vancouver? Well, he's such a unique player because he's so big and has the ability, the skills, the 50 goal score, he's a fabulous passer. And I'll go right back to it again, the guy's a freaking moose.

Like they're gonna miss that a lot. Like I love Nacius, man, he's fun. He can really skate, transports the puck really well. I don't think there's any way to get full value back for that, in that trade. Like I think Jack Jordan is a good player. He's a third line guy. They just is, you know, he's a producer, but he's not going to get a hundred

points like a ranting in ducks. Like it just, it just, it just is. I think the whole, the, the abs are in a little bit of a swirl here. Now, um, just think of their moves. They traded out both their goalies this year. Yeah. Right? Like who does that?

They weren't comfortable with what they were. They've made this move, uh, with Ranton. They're going to make another move. There's going to be something else. Like they're, they're churning right now to try and find a little balance, a little, um, you know, a little more completeness through their lineup because everything happened through about three or four players. And, um, you know, and Ranton was one of them.

I, I'm with you. I think he's a top 10 forward in the league for sure. Like he is a, he's just so unique. Like the, you know, how about the crazy part of that? Him coming out and saying, yeah, I would have taken less money. Yeah, we were talking about that this morning as well. Somewhere, I forget the movie, what we have here is the lack of communication. Something broke down between Ranton and the agent, the team, and then the team had to make the, like really it's an unenviable decision. Like can we keep him? What if he gets hurt? What if we have a hurt Miko Ranton and we can't move him? Like so they obviously got to a point and said we got to do this. Man, it was a stunner, that's for sure. Well, you got a good one tonight in Vegas,

Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, second time, couple days that these two are gonna meet. Should be a lot of fun. Ray, have a good call tonight, enjoy the game. We'll talk again next week. You betcha, thanks for adjusting my time. I'll figure it out one of these weeks. Thank you a lot.

All good, thanks man. See you Ray. Ray Ferraro here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Okay. We're going to go to break, going to come back and when we do, we got some quotes from Jim Rutherford in the Globe and Mail and I think

you'll be interested to hear these. You're listening. It's a tease in our industry. That's what they call a tease. Also, it's time to take a break. That too. You're listening to the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Not yet though, Jason. Before to take a break. That too. You're listening to the Haliford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650.

Not yet though, Jason, before we go to break, I need to tell you about the Clayton Public House, the host of the big football party, along with us, Sportsnet 650. Visit them online for reservations, theclaytonpub.com. Clayton Public House, good food, good people, good times.

It's Canucks Central with Dan Riccio and Saty Arshaw, your destination for everything Canucks. Exclusive interviews, inside info, and even the post-game show. Listen 4 to 6 p.m, God, this is always dead. It's what we learn time. It's what we learn time. It's what we learn time on the show.

8.32 on a Tuesday. Happy Tuesday everybody. Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650. Halford and Brough of the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda, Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking for. Sales, financing, service or parts. We are in hour three of the program.

It is what we learn time. Hour three is brought to you by Campbell & Pound real estate appraisers. Trust the expertise of Campbell & Pound. Visit them on the internet at Campbell-pound.com today. Okay. Brace yourselves folks. Pretty big development here on the Halford & Brough Show on SportsNet 650 as it pertains

to the Vancouver Canucks. This of course is Sportsnet 650, your home of the Canucks. News of this nature, quotes of this nature. It's a pretty big deal. Don't want to oversell it. Don't want to get hyperbolic, but as Jason mentioned, prior to going on a break, there is an article that's out now. You actually teased it before the article even went live. I actually kind of helped with the

article. And he helped with the article. As long as we make sure we don't make it about exclusively you. It's always about rough. Get to the point. Gary Mason, Globe and Mail, had a interview with Canucks president of hockey ops, Jim Rutherford. If you're wondering what the crux of the interview was, it's about the rift between JT Miller and Elias Pedersen. That's the big part of it. Jim Rutherford did not hold back and was incredibly candid in discussing the relationship or lack thereof between

his two star centers. I am just going to read the quotes for you, the listening audience. People are waiting with beta breath right now. Someone texted in, they said, I'm about to go under a tunnel. Please don't read the quotes until I get out of it. People are like, it's behind a paywall! Don't worry, we got around it. This is Jim Rutherford. It's like, it's behind a paywall. Don't worry, we got around it. This is Jim Rutherford. Yeah, it's called, I have a subscription. You paid.

He paid. To get past the wall. I didn't pay. My dad paid. This is Jim Rutherford speaking on the tricky situation between Top Center's JT Miller and Elias Pedersen. I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody had 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. We've had those conversations and I think the parties understand and I think they've tried. As you know, sometimes emotions get deep and as much as people try sometimes, you can't get over it. It certainly appears that's what's going on here.

We're talking about two of our top players, certainly our two best forwards. It can be really tough on a franchise, not only present, but into the future when you're planning on peaking this team into a contending team. And then you find out, that's not going to happen. Or at least it's not going to happen with the group we have now. Then you have to put together a new plan. This is, this is.

That is wild. This is him saying like, it is not going to happen with this core. Brutal. Jim, is it going to happen with this core? No, no, no, no. That is so, oh, that is honestly, it's almost heartbreaking.

Well, at least there's clarity. Yeah. He goes on to say, look, when you don't have chemistry, it's hard to be that consistent team because there's too much going on in the room for everybody to concentrate on what they're supposed to do. And then Gary Mason, again, the author of this article who did the interview with Jim Rutherford

for the Globe and Mail asked Rutherford, do you mean the Miller-Peterson drama? And he said, yep. Yep. Well, there you have it. The damn media had it again stupid report stoking the flame look this is this is this is crazy man it's actually not crazy well this is what we all thought but you see but he's just

putting it out there is like no solution to this it's not crazy it's actually probably the right development. It's what everyone assumed, but just seeing it in writing like that is insane. So listen, I think that they're obviously, obviously way past the point of sending veiled messages or blatant messages or warnings, all that's gone. Alvin tried it. That was on December 31st. or blatant messages or warnings, all that's gone.

Alvin tried it. That was on December 31st. That was a month ago. Like they obviously, and put it this way, for Alvin to actually get to the point where he said something interesting to a reporter in the media tells you how frustrated they must've been as an organization, right? Think about how long the wound had to be festering

to that point, to get to that point. So now it's just kind of like, you know, those cathartic moments where you're like, okay, this is where we are. This is where we're at. Austin and Langley texts in, is this the white flag before the tear down? Yes. Unless something crazy happens.

Yes. You know, I've heard people come on this program or write about it or come on the station and say, you know, like, I don't know if I buy this rift between Miller and Pedersen because they've had so much success together at times. You know, they both had incredible seasons to the point they get to these massive contracts and they played on the same line together at times. I think you got the answer when he says, sometimes we think we have this under control and then it festers again.

Yeah. It comes up. Like they just, they cannot get over it. It's like, what do they call it when you get divorced and it's like irreconcilable differences? Is that the phrase? Right? Like it's like. Not amicable. Yeah. It's like, it's just, we tried, irreconcilable differences is kind of what I'm hearing. There's a 1984 film called Inreconcilable Differences. Irreconcilable.

Yep. Yeah. This is more of a comedy though. 1984 film. Anyway. Oh yeah, this isn't so much of a comedy. Divorce was so hot in the eighties, so hot. And now we're, I mean, you know, Rutherford

later on in the article, he's like, yeah, these are two best forwards and you know, Rutherford later on in the article, he's like, he's like, yeah, this is, so two best forwards and you know, if we're going to trade one of these guys or both of these guys, hopefully we'll get a centre back in return, but it's not going to be to the calibre of centre that these guys are. Yeah, I think. This is two guys that have, their fight has, okay,

their fight has torn this team apart. Yes. And I don't, so I thought, you know, I thought at times that, um, well, maybe this is a bit of a red herring, you know, maybe, maybe, maybe each got something going on in their own lives. That's, you know, and then they also don't get along, but whatever, maybe it's a bit of a red herring.

But Jim Rutherford is saying right now, this is not a red herring. Um, these guys cannot coexist on the same team. And the reason you're seeing the inconsistency in from the team is cause there's so much going on behind the scenes, specifically regarding these two. And we're going to have to move one, if not both of them out.

And I think with this coming out, it is going to be a lot harder for one of them to stay because people are going to be angry that they could not figure this out. Now, for those people texting in saying that Jim Rutherford is cratering the trade value of any of these guys, because who would want to take a guy on, um, that might be the case for certain teams,

but I also do think it's that it's a bit of a, Hey, as long as the other guy isn't part of this team, this guy will be fine for both of them. So someone just, they just, they are, they are so different. These guys, they're, they're just unbelievably different people. So someone just texted in Rutherford should have made those comments. What value do the players have when other teams know we're desperate, buddy? Everyone knows everyone knows everyone knows this.

He just put it this way. This is just one of those, I use the word cathartic. have when other teams know we're desperate. Buddy, everyone knows. Everyone knows. Everyone knows this. He just put it this way. This is just one of those. I use the word cathartic. This is just one of those cathartic moments where instead of pretending or trying to gloss over a slap, a coat of paint on it to make it look okay, you just be like, Oh, you know what? Fine.

It's got to end. That's what it is. It's an acknowledgement of what everyone had already acknowledged anyway. Can you imagine what the crowd reaction is going to be at Roger's Arena to these guys? No, I don't know. I mean, let's hear from the listeners.

Do you take sides right away? Like in a real divorce? You go with dad, you stick with mom. What do you do? I don't know What do you do? Do you try and find who's the right and the wrong? Do you just did look at both of them be like it's embarrassing that you two couldn't figure this out Or do you go the other way? You're like, hey we've all been paired together with someone that just was incongruent and

I We've all been paired together with someone that just was incongruent. And I don't, sometimes you can't, sometimes you genuinely can't blame one person or the other when it's a failed dynamic. I still feel like we're going to get Texans like, I just feel like if they had brandstrom in the lineup, you know, really brought the room together. It's like a rug. Too many point shots. Well, we had one text to say, what about last year? Were they not angry at each other last year?

And they. Well, they were winning. It was the quote. Yeah. That was the quote. I got the quote. Read the quote again. Read the quote again.

I felt for a long, this is Jim Rutherford speaking. Me, I won't do the Jim Rutherford voice. I tried it at the break, didn't work. I felt for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody had worked on it, including the parties involved, but it only gets resolved for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody had 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

so Rutherford has come in he's like I've given it a shot The previous regime gave it a shot Travis Green gave it a shot Bruce Boudreaux gave it a shot. The previous regime gave it a shot. Travis Green gave it a shot. Bruce Boudreaux gave it a shot. Rick Tauke gave it a shot. Lots of shots given, right?

Yeah, they brought in a marriage counselor once. Then they extended these guys? That was the next step? It was the electroshock thing, like from the Simpsons, where they're allowed to shock each other if they don't agree. Dr. Marvin Monroe. Yeah, Marvin Monroe was brought in and it caused Roger's Arena Power to go out. Petey was like, look at the way this guy loads the dishwasher.

When am I supposed to live with this? There's absolutely no rhyme or reason to the way this guy loads the dishwasher. We cannot coexist like this. This is a combination of depressing and ridiculous. Yes. That this is a problem that has destroyed this core and especially after last season and how amazing it was, regardless of the ending, that you're just like, all right there's a light at the end of the tunnel this core might have figured it out maybe

we're growing maybe we're gonna be a cup contender and now comes crashing down. Okay. It is befitting in the notes that alongside of everything else we were gonna cover today, Bruff did put the Jimmy Butler situation in Miami. And I don't like doing apples to oranges in this instance cause they're different. But when you're talking about ridiculously paid, highly talented and big ego professional athletes and I think

all those are on the table here. You've got to understand how stubborn and how deeply guys can dig their heels in. So you know the Jimmy Butler story right now right? He is now in the midst of his third team issued suspension from the Miami Heat. Third, this time it was for walking out of a practice on Monday. Butler's made it really clear. I'm not playing for the Miami Heat anymore.

And the Miami Heat are like, well, we're paying you, you're under contract. You can't just walk away until we trade you. But both parties are so dug in and especially Jimmy Butler that it's irreconcilable differences. They're not going to reconcile the situation. They're not going to figure it out. There's not going to be a solution. It ends with a breakup. And it's because, butlers, I I mean this is part of the playbook and

everything but it's an example of someone who's got a healthy ego and is immensely talented and makes a lot of money saying I'm calling the shots it exists in the world of professional sports it's a shame that it's happening here it really is I think they have to trade them both. I mean, I really do. So you're suggesting that like, let's use the divorce analogy, that it's gonna be too hard for one to stick around. Right?

I don't think the divorce analogy is right, but. I just. It's like, let's say. Well, let me talk you through it. Okay. Okay. You trade, um, Miller say, what's the re what's the crowd reaction to Petey? Right.

One stays behind and has to deal with the house and the family. The other one gets to go. Yeah, I get it. And I also think like, if you trade one of them and the other player, okay, if you trade one of them and the other player doesn't perform, obviously that's a problem, right? Okay.

If you trade one of them and the other player does perform, I also think that's a problem. Like you couldn't get over it. You couldn't get over it. That, that, that dynamic definitely exists. So what were you doing? That dynamic definitely exists. Not playing hard because That, that, that dynamic definitely exists. So what were you doing? That dynamic definitely exists. Not playing hard because you were sad. That dynamic definitely exists. Or because you were angry or you were like, this is the NHL. This is pro sports. You don't think

the other, the other team are going to bring that up on the ice in a big playoff game if this team ever gets to a big, big playoff game again? again? I, these are, are these the guys that, this is such an overused cliche, but you want to go to battle with these guys? They can't even get along with their own teammates? It seems crazy to me. And frankly, this is an organizational failure. You know, credit to Jim Rutherford for coming out and saying, this is, uh, you know, being honest with the quotes, but how the hell could you let it get to this point?

My one thing with Pedersen over and over, I heard red flags, red flags, red flags, and the same thing for JT Miller as well, right? Different type of things. But, and then, so I always came back to, then why did you give them the big contract? So I guess it was at the time last year, they'd already locked up JT, but I guess it was at the time last year, they'd already locked up JT, but I guess it was at the

time they felt, all right, well, those issues have been solved. But I always felt like Petey's game went into the tank when they started leaning on him to resign. And maybe that was Petey being basically forced to decide whether to be traded to Carolina or resign in Vancouver, for a very big number by the way, that the agents were probably pushing him for to say like, hey, sign this contract while it's on the table, do this right now.

So they're probably, but maybe he was thinking like, man, I don't really want to be here if JT is still here. And I don't think it was a coincidence that we heard Petey say, I want to be in Vancouver via Elliot Friedman after it was pretty well established that they were going to trade JT. I think we broke the in basket. The texts are coming in at a rapid pace and understandably so. This is one of the most, we all knew something

was going on here, but for it to be laid out like that and essentially like they admitted it, this is one of the turning points in Canucks history. Like if there was a Canucks book being written, if you guys had part two of your book, this would be one of them. Someone just, J and OK Falls texted in and said, when Bruff just said, I think they need to

trade them both. Both of you look like someone just died. If we have the video, I actually like to J and OK falls, texted in and said when Brough just said, I think they need to trade them both. Both of you look like someone just died. If we have the video, I actually like to go back and look at it. There is a cold slap of reality on occasion where you realize that everything's sort of setting in and look, we've talked about this situation ad nauseam for the last three months. So nothing should really come as a surprise. I think it's just more

that it's all finally out there and it's just on the table and all the cards have been laid and the souls have been bared and everyone is like, OK, this is the situation. And then you can go about, well, how do we fix it? And I guess the answer is. Do I have a hard time saying it still, because I can't I don't know a world where you trade your top two centers. You know, I've seen trading one guy out because he's a problem.

I've seen trading both guys out because it's like they can't stick around. But I mean overwhelmingly right now, overwhelmingly, people are like, I don't want to see either of these guys, right? Is this fair? What do you have with dogs? What do you think? I love the power of self-deception in a certain amount of people out there. I'll get through it. Here's a text. Okay. in a certain amount of people out there. I'll get through it. Here's a text. I think you guys are polarizing everything

and putting such a small issue under the microscope. Keep Pedersen and move forward. I'm not even gonna read who sent that in. No, do it. But you need to own that. Congratulations on being so invested in the theory that the media creates all this drama on being so invested in the theory that the media creates all this drama, that you could hear those quotes

from the president of the Vancouver Canucks and think that we are making a big deal out of a small issue. Halford and Brough, mountains out of molehills. All the time. Like It is one, whatever, it's one texture. I don't care. No, but it's just such an investment. You wouldn't even read his name. Or her name.

I feel like it's showing us a goal. I'm speechless about how the way it was laid out in this article by Jim Rutherford, we all know as a very honest guy, but. It's like, oh my God, he admitted. You just heard him say like, I'm out of answers here. Yeah. About, and this is two members of the leadership group. They're two best forwards.

They're, they're top two centers. Can't get along, so one of them has to be traded or maybe, you know, our conclusion is maybe both of them have to be traded. And Brock Besser is probably not going to be back now. Thatcher Demko, I could see him being traded. And then, you know, there are some comments from Jim Rutherford about Quinn Hughes' role in all this. And he basically says, wow, you know, if Quinn

doesn't stay, then we really have to start all over again. I don't want to think about that. We are talking about. There's so much emotional bandwidth. Yeah, Hughes has to stay, he can't go. He can't leave. We are talking about, like, they need to tear this down, in my opinion, and they need to do it

really quickly, because the sooner you get started, the quicker you can show Quinn Hughes that there's promise here for the future. Why are you trying to make it so polarizing? I don't understand. I feel like we need to go another hour. Hey look, music! We're not going to, but it's one of those days. Well I will apologize to everyone that sent in what we learned.

We read a grand total of zero of them, which really isn't that uncommon for us. But today, at least we have a built-in excuse. I can only imagine what the rest of the day has in store, everybody. I got a feeling this will be a major talking point for the remainder of today. And then of course, when we're back tomorrow. For the remainder of the season? On the air.

But for now, the music means we gotta say goodbye. Thank you all for listening. Thank you all for contributing. And we'll talk to you tomorrow. Signing all for listening, thank you all for contributing, and we'll talk to you tomorrow. Signing off for now, I've been Mike Halford, he's been Jason Brough, he's been A-Dog, he's been Laddie, she's been Intern Ryan, this has been the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650.