Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford has two simple messages: stop speculating about JT Miller’s leave of absence. Oh, and the Canucks aren’t trading him.
In an exclusive interview with Patrick Johnston of The Province, Rutherford scolded social media rumour peddlers.
“Don’t start making stuff up on someone in his situation. That’s disrespectful,” he said. “People that do this for fun, or for a living, just go back to making up trade rumours.”
In the past week, there have been plenty of rumours and speculation hitting social media that suggested Miller wanted out of Vancouver, which Rutherford says isn’t true. In fact, amid reputable reports that teams like the Rangers have called the Canucks to check in on Miller’s trade status — which they’re well within their rights to do — Rutherford made it clear the club has no intention of trading number nine.
“No, we are not (trading him)…We stand by him,” Rutherford said “flatly.”
Miller has been on a personal leave of absence since November 18th, when the club announced that he’d be away from the team for an “indefinite” amount of time. Miller was benched during the third period of the Canucks’ 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on home ice, which has only added to the speculation, something Rutherford recognizes is natural in pro sports.
What Rutherford really seems to take issue with is the rumours suggesting Miller has one foot out the door, has asked for a trade, or has seemingly quit on the Canucks. Miller is expected to be a part of Team USA’s roster announcement for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Wednesday afternoon. Reports earlier this week stated that Team USA ‘fully expects” Miller to be ready to go for the tournament, which begins on February 12th and ends on February 20th. The tournament will see NHL players represent Canada, USA, Finland, and Sweden.
