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Paul Bissonnette & ex-NHLer hold high praise for J.T Miller amidst Canucks star's mysterious absence

Modified Dec 04, 2024 03:00 GMT

Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller has taken a personal leave of absence from the team, and neither he nor the Canucks have provided an official timeline for his return.

Miller's absence creates a significant void in the lineup, given that he is one of Vancouver's most talented players and a leader both on and off the ice.

On Tuesday, "Spittin' Chiclets" hosts Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonnette discussed Miller's absence from the Canucks. Whitney asserted that Miller is the type of player who can lead a team to win the Stanley Cup.

"I don't see how you can move on from them. That's what I don't get," Whitney said.

"I couldn't I couldn't trade a player like J.T. Miller. I couldn't do it. I don't know if this is something I'm not in the room, dude, if this is, if this is some sort of relationship that is like, ruined or will never work out together, that's a different story. But if I'm the GM, I'm talking coaching him, I want this guy on my team who want to win a cup."- Ryan Whitney

Bissonnette, on the other hand, suggested that if there are underlying issues between Miller and his teammates, a trade might become necessary.

"It's nearly impossible to get first-line centers via trade, especially in today's NHL, especially with the point production J.T. Miller has, and especially at the cap hit that he has, which is extremely favorable," Bissonnette said.

"But if there is a dynamic in a locker room that is not going to work, you have to entertain the idea at some point, because if he comes back and there's this constant commotion, and it's making a guy 8.5 for another eight years very uncomfortable, and he's not the same player.

"Something at some point has to be done. Hard decisions have to be made, and that's all I wanted to throw across your desk."

J.T. Miller is coming off a career-best year for the Canucks

J.T. Miller's absence is particularly challenging for the Canucks, considering his career-highs of 37 goals and 66 assists in the 2023-24 season. He was pivotal in helping the team win their first division championship in several years and advance to Game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals before being eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers.

Miller had also started this season strongly with six goals and 10 assists.

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Canucks fans can only hope that Miller's personal matters resolve quickly, allowing him to return and help Vancouver defend their divisional championship and pursue another deep postseason run.