Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini reposts his 2019 tweet defending J.T. Miller after forward's GWG vs Oilers

By ARJUN B

Modified May 17, 2024 15:44 GMT

Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini reposted his 2019 tweet defending J.T. Miller after the forward's game-winning goal against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series on Thursday. The Canucks' 3-2 victory gave them a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, with Game 6 set to take place in Edmonton on Saturday.

Aquilini's tweet from Dec 2, 2019 read:

"Not hearing much from critics of the JT Miller trade Jim made these days."

Francesco Aquilini's reposted tweet

The tweet was about the trade former Canucks general manager Jim Benning made on June 22, 2019, when he acquired J.T. Miller from the Tampa Bay Lightning. In exchange for Miller, the Canucks gave up goalie Marek Mazanec, a third-round pick in the 2019 draft and a conditional first-round pick in 2020.

At the time, the trade was met with some criticism, as the Vancouver Canucks had missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons and were perceived by some as not being in a position to trade away valuable draft picks.

The Lightning picked goaltender Hugo Alnefelt with the 2019 third-round pick and then surrendered the 2020 first-round pick to the New Jersey Devils as part of the Blake Coleman deal. The Devils then used that choice to select defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin.

Despite the initial skepticism surrounding the trade, Miller proved his worth to the Canucks organization. In his first season with the team, he tied for the lead or outright led the Canucks in goals (27), assists (45) and points (72) during the regular season. He also tied for the playoff points lead with 18.

Since then, Miller has cemented his status as a key player for the Vancouver Canucks, with many now considering him a franchise player.

The reposted tweet highlights how Aquilini believed in the Miller trade from the start. While the price was steep, Miller's performance justified the assets given up to acquire him.

J.T. Miller's comments after the Vancouver Canucks' 3-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers

After leading the Vancouver Canucks to a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5, J.T. Miller was critical of his own play in Game 4 while praising his team's resilience in bouncing back.

"I have faith in myself," the 31-year-old said during his postgame press conference. "And I speak honestly with you guys, whether it’s good or bad. I just really didn’t like my game the other night and I thought that transitioned into being the reason we got scored on late in the game."

Miller focused on bringing his best.

"Yesterday and today, I was really focused and just thought, as a team, we all played a solid hockey game today," Miller said.

With the series now 3-2 in favor of Vancouver, the Canucks will look to punch their ticket to the third round with a win in Edmonton for Game 6 on Saturday.