J.T. Miller took the high road.
Despite his ugly Canucks departure, the Rangers center only had praise for his former organization.
Miller will face the Canucks on Saturday for the first time since the blockbuster trade in January that sent him to the Rangers for a second stint in New York.
The Rangers acquired Miller along with Erik Brannstrom (who they subsequently sent to the Sabres) and prospect Jackson Dorrington in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a 2025 first-round pick.
“Nothing but great things,” Miller said after practice Friday about how he reflects on his time with the Canucks. “Raised my three kids there, my wife and I have so many friends outside of the game. All the love the city and the fans showed for me while I was there is something I will 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. Nothing but thankful for the opportunity.”
Miller spent five-plus seasons with the Canucks but left on a sour note.
Amid reports that he and the team’s other star center, Elias Pettersson, weren’t getting along, president Jim Rutherford confirmed a rift between the two and suggested a trade was the only resolution.
“I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved,” Rutherford told The Globe and Mail in January. “But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again, and so it certainly appears like there’s no good solution that would keep this group together.”
Miller, 32, had signed a seven-year, $56 million extension with Vancouver that began last year, when he also recorded a career-high 103 points.
But it didn’t take long for him to be at the center of trade rumors this year.
When asked if he has any resentment toward the Canucks for how his tenure ended, Miller said he does not, though he did acknowledge a “fresh start” was needed for his career.
“No, I’m not mad at them,” Miller said. “We have 12 games left and we have to win a lot of them, that’s the only thing I’m worried about.”
After spending his first five-plus seasons with the Rangers, who drafted him with the No. 15 overall pick in 2011, he was traded to the Lightning, where he spent parts of two seasons before being traded to the Canucks, where he emerged as one of the league’s premier centers.
Miller led the Canucks in points three times and was their second-leading scorer this year before the trade.
Since arriving back in New York, Miller has 18 points in 20 games.
His first crack at his old side comes with his current side in a free fall, having lost seven of their past nine games (2-5-2) and now sitting two points out of the final wild-card spot.
Perhaps one of their leaders going up against the team that discarded him can provide a needed spark for the Rangers.
“Yeah, I think it can,” head coach Peter Laviolette said Friday.
The Canucks are fighting for their own playoff hopes as well, sitting just one point behind the final wild-card spot in the West.
Way more than just revenge is on the line.
“Some of my best friends are on that team,” Miller said. “We’re getting dinner tonight but once tomorrow comes, it’s gonna be a war and I think we all understand that and we’d rather it be that way anyway. It’s all business when we get out there. They need points, too, we’re all in the same spot. We need to play well and we need to win the game, so it’s going to be a hard fought game.”
