Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said J.T. Miller has been skating and that they “have a plan,” per Sportsnet 650’s Brendan Batchelor.
Miller appeared in 17 games for the Canucks, recording six goals and 10 assists before taking a leave of absence from the team on December 19 for personal reasons, catching many by surprise. Naturally, this launched the rumour train at full steam, with media outlets across the league speculating on everything from a potential rift between Miller and the team to the possibility of an impending trade. Fortunately, the Canucks’ front office remained steadfast in their support for Miller, which helped to cool the frenzy — at least a little.
Despite Miller’s absence , the Canucks have managed to stay competitive, posting a 4-2-1 record over the seven games, with six of those games being on the road. Elias Pettersson’s resurgence has been instrumental in keeping the team afloat, and let’s not forget DeBrusk finding “da net” a whopping eight times on their recent road trip. The club sits third in the Pacific Division with 30 points — seven points back from first-place Vegas Golden Knights, with three games in hand.
As for Miller, the details of the plan for his return remain unclear. Some have suggested Miller could make a return as early as Friday night when the Canucks take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in Rogers Arena, but nothing confirmed at this point.
However, his recent presence on the ice, working with the training staff, is an encouraging sign for everyone involved. While no one wants to jump to conclusions, Canucks fans are hoping that “have a plan” translates to Miller suiting up in a Canucks uniform again sooner rather than later.
Donnie & Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal added to the optimism surrounding Miller’s potential return:
“He was on the ice yesterday, he’s back in that mood of working out and skating… If he’s on the ice for practice, that’s a pretty good indicator he’s going to play.”
According to Dhaliwal, Miller has been skating with the team’s skills and skating coach, Jason Krog, but has yet to join full practices with his teammates.
For now, Canucks fans will just have to wait and see, but things are developing in the right direction for a J.T. Miller return.
