TARRYTOWN, New York — Some of J.T. Miller’s best friends, including Conor Garland and Thatcher Demko, are still with the Canucks. He’ll get dinner with several of his former teammates Friday evening.
But don’t expect any friendly feelings to extend into the Canucks-Rangers game Saturday.
“It’s going to be a war,” Miller said.
The game will be Miller’s first against the Canucks since they traded him to New York in January. He played 404 games with Vancouver and emerged as one of the league’s premier centers while with the club. He’s one of only two players in Canucks history, along with Pavel Bure, to average more than a point per game.
The end to Miller’s Vancouver tenure was messy. His relationship with center Elias Pettersson deteriorated, and Canucks president Jim Rutherford felt he needed to move one of them, saying as much in an interview with The Globe and Mail. Miller took a leave of absence from the team in November for undisclosed reasons, then waived his no-movement clause to come to New York on Jan. 31.
Despite how everything ended, the 32-year-old Miller holds no ill will against the Canucks.
“I have nothing but great things,” he said. “Raised my three kids there. My wife and I have so many friends outside of the game. The amount of love the city and the fans showed for me while I was there is something I’ll never forget. It’s a great organization, great place to play hockey, passionate fan base. They treated me with the utmost respect while I was there and I’m nothing but thankful for the opportunity.”
Miller started his career with the Rangers, then New York traded him to the Lightning during the 2017-18 season. Vancouver signed him as a free agent in 2019.
“They just gave me opportunity,” Miller said of the Canucks. “When I was here (in New York) I was younger, I was trying to learn how to play playoff hockey and wasn’t ready yet. Then went to Tampa, who had tons of superstars so I was more of a depth player. I got an opportunity there (in Vancouver). Just feel really lucky and fortunate and very thankful.”
Both the Rangers and Canucks entered 2024-25 with high expectations after respectable playoff runs last season. This season, though, they’ve been two of the most drama-filled clubs in the league. The Miller-Pettersson situation took its toll on Vancouver, and general manager Chris Drury tried to remake the Rangers roster on the fly during the year, trading away captain Jacob Trouba, among others. Now both teams are fighting for wild-card berths, Vancouver in the West and New York in the East. The Canucks are one point back of St. Louis but have a game in and, and the Rangers are two points back of the Canadiens, who have two games in hand. They’ll also have to hop the Islanders.
Given the stakes, Miller’s fierce competitiveness will be in full effect against his former teammates.
“It’s all business when we get out there,” Miller said. “They need points, too. We’re all in the same spot. Need to play well and need to win the game. It’s going to be a hard-fought game.”
Vancouver received Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a protected first-round pick in exchange for Miller, Erik Brannstrom and the rights to Jackson Dorrington. Chytil (concussion) won’t play Saturday against the Rangers. Mancini, who has split time between the NHL and AHL this year, is up with the Canucks, but he was a healthy scratch the past two games.
Miller won’t be the only New York player going against his former team. Carson Soucy, acquired at the deadline, will go against his former teammates, too.
“It’ll be interesting,” Soucy said. “It’ll be weird seeing guys you played with this season, but at the same time we just need a win.”
Miller, though, is the main story. He’s gotten a little more settled with the Rangers — his family is now in their own home, no longer living with close friend Vincent Trocheck — but the coming matchup with Vancouver gave him a chance to look back. His tenure with the Canucks featured plenty of success. The team won a playoff series in two separate seasons after not having won any since 2011.
Vancouver, though, believed it needed to make a change. Talking Friday, Miller seemed aligned with that thinking. Asked if he needed a fresh start by the end, he responded simply.
“Yep.”
(Photo: Danny Wild / Imagn Images)
