On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal discussed J.T. Miller’s comments ahead of his first game against Vancouver since being traded, Rick Tocchet’s reputation around the league, and what’s next for the Canucks’ head coach.
Ahead of his highly anticipated matchup against the Canucks, Miller spoke candidly about his time in Vancouver and the circumstances that led to his departure.
“I don’t want to get into too much detail, but, yeah, I think a fresh start was needed,” Miller said. “I’ve got nothing bad to say about the Canucks or Vancouver as a city. We loved it there. It felt like home, and that’s all you can ask for. But, unfortunately, this is a business, and in the business end of things, it was getting difficult.”
Miller also addressed the widely reported tension between him and Elias Pettersson, which Canucks President Jim Rutherford publicly acknowledged earlier in the season.
“The whole me-and-Petey thing, it’s still blown out of proportion,” Miller insisted. “I get what Jim was doing. I have a ton of respect for Jim, and I talked with Jim after that (story). I wasn’t mad; I understand everybody has a job to do. Clearly, if me and Petey were better than we were, obviously this might be different. But it’s also not as bad as everybody thought, either. It’s just an easy thing for everybody to run with. There were just a lot of moving parts.”
Harm noted that Miller’s first comments reinforced why the Canucks made the move.
“This first quote reaffirms that the Miller we’re seeing in New York, the really effective version, wasn’t going to show up in Vancouver,” Harm explained. “He looked mentally checked out towards the end of his time with the Canucks. We watched that first game with the Rangers and went, ‘Oh my god, when has he ever forechecked and defended like this?’ The urgency and excitement he was playing with was a night-and-day difference compared to what we saw from him in Vancouver. Even being around the locker room, he wasn’t chirping guys as much, and you could tell things weren’t quite right for him here. I genuinely hope he has a lot of success in New York, but it doesn’t matter if he puts up 90 points there—Vancouver was never getting that version of him back.”
Quads pointed out how careful Miller was with his words, especially in contrast to former captain Bo Horvat’s now-infamous comments after his trade.
“I liked to see these quotes from JT,” Quads said. “He obviously saw what happened when Bo Horvat said what he said, and JT was very careful not to say anything Canucks fans could take offence to.”
With Canucks management expressing interest in keeping Rick Tocchet behind the bench, there’s now speculation about whether he’ll choose to stay in Vancouver or explore other opportunities.
Frank Seravalli reported that there are “seven to eight teams” that would be eager to hire Tocchet if he were available.
“Allvin has spoken about wanting Tocchet signed, and ideally, they get this conversation to the finish line sooner rather than later,” Quads said. “Whereas Tocchet is very comfortable waiting and has said he’s focused on getting this team into the playoffs. Obviously, we know there’s an element of this where Tocchet is looking at whether this is the best situation for him. I have no doubts that there’s interest in Tocchet around the league, which ultimately will lead to him being able to make his own decision. Around the league, teams look at what the Canucks have done this year and see Tocchet as part of the reason this team is even in the playoff race despite all the things that went wrong. He’s well-regarded around the league.”
Harm emphasized that Tocchet’s reputation as a defensive-minded coach who can stabilize a struggling team makes him an attractive option for many organizations.
“All you need to know is he was one of the assistants for Team Canada,” Harm noted. “It doesn’t surprise me to hear other teams would be interested in him if he were to shake loose. A lot of people look at the steps the Canucks took defensively when Tocchet first took over and how significantly that raised the floor of this team. There are teams who look at that model of retooling, and for a team that hasn’t figured it out defensively but has some promise, Tocchet could be the guy to take them to the next step. I’m sure teams like that would be interested—and maybe even some contenders if they bow out early.”
With Miller settling into his new role in New York and Tocchet’s future still uncertain, the Canucks face pivotal decisions that could shape the franchise for years to come.
You can watch the full replay of the show below:
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