After Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss, the Vancouver Canucks continue on their final lengthy road trip of the season, travelling to New York for a date with the Rangers and a familiar face, JT Miller.
“Some of my best friends are on that team,” Miller said regarding facing the Canucks for the first time since the trade. “We’re going to dinner tonight, but once tomorrow comes, it’s going to be a war, and I think we all understand that. We would rather it be that way anyway. It’s all business when we get out there.”
Miller was traded to the Rangers along with Erik Brännström and the rights to Jackson Dorrington on January 31 in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a 2025 top-13 protects first-round pick – if the Rangers picked in the top-13, the pick would shift to an unprotected 2026 first-round pick.
The former first-round pick spent the previous five seasons in Vancouver. Miller played 404 games in a Canucks sweater, creeping up all the way to 13th on the franchise’s point leaders with 152 goals and 185 assists for 437 points.
The physical centreman signed a seven-year, $56 million contract, holding an $8 million AAV extension with the Canucks that expires in 2030. Miller intended to play out his full contract in Vancouver, but that’s not how this story ended.
In a recent interview with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Miller shared that leaving Vancouver was never something he even thought about. But after the rough year he endured this season, he believed a fresh start was needed for him at this point of his career. Miller further shared their appreciation for Canucks fans, and having the crowd chant his name is a special memory for him and his family.
One of the loudest talking points in the Vancouver market was this potential rift between Miller and other star centreman, Elias Pettersson. It became clear that they could no longer co-exist in Vancouver, and with Miller wanting a fresh start and older age, it became clear he was the player to move off of.
While it was the hottest topic in Canucks land, Miller poured some cold water on the situation while understanding that hockey is a business:
“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 was just a lot of moving parts.”
JT Miller and Carson Soucy – who was also traded to the Rangers at the NHL Trade Deadline – will have their opportunity at revenge against their former team as both teams are currently on the outside looking in for their respective conferences, and points are crucial with under 15 games remaining.
