The Vancouver Canucks shared a troubling update when they announced that top forward J.T. Miller was departing the team for an indefinite leave of absence. The first concern is for Miller and his well-being, and the organization shared their support for the East Palestine, Ohio native while providing the update.
The second concern for the Canucks is their lineup. Miller was the team's top scoring forward through their first 17 games, and he was looking to build off of his 103-point campaign last year. Without their high-scoring center, the team will look towards these three players to help fill the void from Miller's absence.
1. Conor Garland
Garland is already having a strong start to his 2024, but the Canucks are depending on Garland to take another step to mitigate the absence of Miller. He's currently third on the team in scoring and second among forwards, with four goals and 13 points over the first 17 games. His best offensive season came in 2021-2022, when he recorded 52 points, but the Canucks will need a new offensive career-high from Garland if they want to keep pace in the Pacific Division.
2. Jake DeBrusk
DeBrusk was the team's big free agent target this past offseason. Now, he has the chance to show why the Canucks committed such a hefty deal to him with Miller out of the lineup. DeBrusk should see some more time in the top-six and power play ice-time, and hopefully that helps him find that next level of offense.
So far this season, he has just three goals through the first 17 games. He's added seven assists to give him 10 points so far, but the Canucks need him to put the puck in the net a bit more as they navigate their new lineup.
3. Nils Hoglander
The Canucks made tidy work of Hoglander's pending expiring contract, giving the young forward an extension that will pay him $3 million annually through the 2027-2028 campaign. But so far in 2024, he's not living up to that raise in salary.
He has just two goals, three assists, and five points in 17 games. That's simply not good enough for a Stanley Cup hopeful. And now with a 100-point scorer out of the lineup, the Canucks need Hoglander to return to the 20+ goal scorer he has been in the past.
