The Vancouver Canucks will most certainly miss many of the qualities JT Miller brought to the rink in his five-plus seasons as one of the team’s top players. Yet, in moving him as the organization did on Friday night to reset its competitive course, it’s clear some of those same qualities were among the reasons Miller no longer plays here.
When in control and at the top of his game, Miller had so many admirable traits that allowed him to perform and produce at the highest level against some of the sport’s biggest stars. A unique combination of size, skill and power with a motor that was almost always running hot, Miller led the Canucks in scoring with 437 points in 404 regular season points since he was acquired by the hockey club on the second day of the 2019 National Hockey League Draft. Beyond that, he was second in goals, assists and penalty minutes in his time in Canuck colours. He was also the team’s runaway leader in hits over that span. He really could do it all. And on so many nights he was this team’s de facto leader who had the ability to put the club on his back and will it to victory.
But it was also clear that Miller could run hot. Sometimes too hot for his own good and, by all accounts, for those around him, too. And somewhere between whatever led to his 10-game personal leave in November and an inability to make peace with Elias Pettersson in a feud that simply could not be overcome for reasons that may never be known, the hockey club made the difficult decision to move on from Miller. On heart and talent, the Canucks are not a better hockey club after the trade. But they are hoping that they are a more functional and cohesive unit that has now fumigated the locker room as it turns the page. On that front, only time will tell.
Without question, the Canucks are now without one of the most fiery and passionate players to ever wear the uniform. And if any of JT Miller’s many qualities have rubbed off on the teammates left behind, the Canucks have to hope it’s his ability to elevate his game come playoff time.
Miller made a pair of post-season appearances for the Canucks – in the bubble in the summer of 2020 and again last spring – and led the team in scoring over the 30 games he suited up for. He had nine goals and 21 assists to leave his mark on the scoresheet, but a lot of what he brought to those high-stakes games can’t be measured in a box score.
An all-situations player, Miller had the ability to rise to the occasion and bring teammates along with him. He was driven and seemed to thrive when tasked with drawing the toughest assignments. And when the chips were down, and the Canucks needed something good to go their way late in games, often it was JT Miller that came through in the clutch.
Was he a perfect player in his time with the Canucks? Of course not. And he won’t be as he returns to the New York Rangers, either. The careless passes and needless turnovers won’t be missed. Nor will the questionable backchecks on occasions, the sulking and the bench door slamming that surfaced from time to time.
But through his flaws, Miller is a player who understood what playoff hockey required. He accepted the challenge and usually rose to meet it head-on. And as he walks out the door, Miller’s absence will be felt in many ways on many nights. But the biggest hole he leaves behind is that of the Alpha male that all successful teams need as they push for the Stanley Cup. And that won’t be easy to replace. There are some very good hockey players on the Canucks roster, but there was only one JT Miller.
Clearly, he didn’t harness all of his energy properly at all times, or he’d very likely still be here.
But he’s gone, and his many contributions can’t be forgotten. In just five and a half seasons, Miller leaves the organization 11th in franchise scoring in the regular season and 15th in the playoffs.
And maybe – quite likely, in fact – it will require the team returning to the post-season to understand JT Miller’s true legacy here. The hope has to be that his playoff performances left a mark on his teammates and provided them with some sort of baseline of how the game has to be played with so much on the line.
The Vancouver Canucks won a couple of playoff rounds with JT Miller in the fold but never came close to winning a championship. And so management made a decision it felt was necessary to pursue that path. For years, it felt like JT Miller was exactly the kind of player the organization needed to to reach hockey’s promised land. The kind of player, in fact, that would push this team to those heights.
In the end, maybe he pushed a little too hard for those around him. We may never know all of the details that led to Miller’s departure, but this much is clear. The Vancouver Canucks could use a few more players to play like the best version of Miller on a lot of nights. And hopefully, they’ll recognize that whenever they have the chance to play playoff hockey again.
Sponsored by bet365
