J.T. Miller’s time with the Vancouver Canucks has come to an end.
The enigmatic forward was traded to the New York Rangers on Friday along with two other minor-league players, Jackson Dorrington and Erik Brannstrom. Heading back to Vancouver in return are Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a protected first-round pick, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
A trade has felt inevitable since Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford told The Globe and Mail earlier this week that there’s “no good solution” when it comes to the rift between Miller and teammate Elias Pettersson.
“I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved,” Rutherford said. “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 that 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.”
Miller was originally drafted by the Rangers in the first round back in 2011. He played parts of six seasons in New York before getting moved to the Tampa Bay Lightning alongside defenceman Ryan McDonagh.
The Canucks traded for Miller ahead of the 2019-20 season and he set a career-high with 72 points in his first season in Vancouver. After two more strong seasons, the Canucks inked Miller to a seven-year contract extension ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
The signing of Miller to a long-term deal ultimately priced Bo Horvat out of Vancouver, as the team’s captain was moved to the New York Islanders a few months later. Though Quinn Hughes was named the next captain of the Canucks, Miller had already taken over as the emotional leader of the team.
Miller’s leadership style is loud and old-school and that didn’t mesh with Pettersson, Vancouver’s quiet, unassuming young star from Sweden. Earlier this month, former Canuck Brad Richardson spoke on “Missin’ Curfew“ about how Miller was going to “lose” Pettersson if he didn’t lighten up.
“Let me tell you this, and I’ll be super honest with you about this: I was in the dressing room with those guys. I love JT, love him. He’s a f***in’ animal. But, I even told him, ‘You’re too hard on this kid. You’re too hard on him. I know, you’re saying exactly what I think. But he’s a kid that, when you’re on him, on him, on him, he’s going to shut it down. I told him, like, ‘Hey, you’re going to lose this guy if you keep doing it.’ That’s what I said to him. And hey, JT is the man. But there is a lot of tension, and something’s going to give. And I’m not saying you have to love every guy on your team. It helps. But something is going to give there. So, we’ll see.”
And here we are now. With the Canucks in the middle of a frustrating, letdown season, the tension between Miller and Pettersson resulted in the team moving on from one of their best players. Vancouver reportedly discussed trades involving both players but ultimately chose to stick with Pettersson.
Vancouver went into their game on Friday with the Dallas Stars sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference with a 23-17-10 record. If this trade doesn’t spark the team, last year’s Pacific Division Champions are at risk of missing the playoffs and becoming a one-year wonder.
