It is tough to describe JT Miller’s legacy as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. But one word comes to mind: Complicated.
In case you have been living under a rock, after weeks and months of rumours, the Canucks finally said goodbye to Miller. On Friday afternoon, Vancouver sent Miller to the New York Rangers.
Chytil is a name that has been linked to Vancouver for years. The Swedish centre/left-winger is a skilled player but has had trouble staying healthy. The 21st overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft has 20 points in 41 games.
Mancini was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. (159th overall.) Dobber Prospects describes him as: “A big-bodied right-shot defenceman with good defensive acumen who will need to polish his overall game.”
Is this return underwhelming? Yes. But the Canucks were never going to get a big haul for Miller, maybe two years ago they would’ve. The Rangers were also the only team interested in Miller, especially after the Mikko Rantanen to Carolina blockbuster last week.
So it is what it is. A positive is that Vancouver did not retain any of Miller’s eight-million-dollar cap hit.
Miller’s legacy with the Canucks: Excitement and Frustrations
So after five and a half seasons with the Canucks, Miller’s legacy is an interesting topic.
What will he be remembered for? For starters, the East Palestine, Ohio native played the best hockey of his career with the Canucks. Before coming to Vancouver, Miller’s career high in points was 58. As a Canucks he had point totals of 72, 46, (in the Scotia North Division 56-game season) 99, 82 and 103. This season, he only managed 35 points in 40 games before the trade.
With 437 points in 404 games as a Canuck, Miller is 11th in the all-time franchise points list. Miller is the one of two Canucks to register a point per game throughout their tenure. (1.082) The other? Pavel Bure. (1.117)
Miller was a fiery player who had a lot of passion. He scored goals, got plenty of assists and at times, stepped up when they needed him. Fans chanted his name and wore his jersey with pride.
Perhaps no Miller goal was bigger than his game-winner in Game 5 of the second round against the Edmonton Oilers last spring. He scored with 31.9 seconds remaining and Rogers Arena and Vancouver erupted. Unfortunately, the Canucks lost the series in seven.
But that fiery passion was a blessing and a curse.
The Canucks lost games often. Being the vocal guy he is, Miller made it clear he did not like losing. Let’s face it, no athlete does.
On the ice, Miller often looked ticked off, he showed his frustrations on the bench and displayed some poor backchecks. He was never the best defensive player but the effort wasn’t there on the backchecks.
The final straw turned out to be his feud with Elias Pettersson. While it was a thing for years, it escalated this season and became a huge problem. The two feuded like Liam and Noel Gallagher and it seems the Canucks organization had enough, especially after nothing changed after Miller went on a leave of absence in November.
Miller always got fans and media talking, good and bad. It didn’t have to end this way and it’s unfortunate it did.
The Canucks handled the Miller and Pettersson situation poorly. It is also worth mentioning that Miller himself played a big role in his Canucks exit.
All things considered, it will be tough to define Miller’s legacy in Vancouver. The passion, the fire and the points will live forever. However, the ugly stuff can’t be ignored either. Miller wore his heart on his sleeve, perhaps a bit too much.
How will Miller be remembered? As the fiery guy who scored some big goals or the guy with an attitude that apparently caused a rift in the locker room? It will be debated among Canucks fans for generations.
One thing is for sure, it is hard to define Miller’s legacy as a Canucks However, one thing is clear: He was never boring.
