Breakaway on SI

J.T. Miller Ready for Return to Canucks Lineup

The Vancouver Canucks will welcome J.T. Miller back into the lineup against the Florida Panthers

Nick Horwat

Nov 2, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller (9) warms up on the ice before the game between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller (9) warms up on the ice before the game between the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
In this story:

J.T. Miller has been absent from the Vancouver Canucks lineup for nearly a month on personal leave, but he appears to be ready for a return. When the Canucks take to the ice against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Miller will be right there with them.

The Canucks have been without Miller for 10 games and have gone 5-3-2 in that time and are holding down the Western Conference’s second wild card spot. Before taking his leave from the team, Miller had appeared in 17 games and scored six goals and 10 assists for 16 total points.

Miller briefly spoke with Vancouver media made it very clear right away he did not want to talk about why he wasn’t around the team for nearly a month.

“I am playing tonight,” Miller said, confirming his return to game action. “I really would appreciate if we just stayed away from reasons why I wasn’t here. You can ask all you want, but I’m not going to dive into it.”

When Miller left the team, the Canucks stated he was taking a leave of absence, and did not go further into details.

During his absence, speculation ramped up about the possibility that Miller was injured or on the trade block. President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford made sure to debunk any rumors of the sort.

It still isn’t clear why Miller took time off, and we may never know, but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Miller is back in the Canucks lineup and looking to get back to the 103-point player that he was a season ago.

Miller took in a couple of practices with the Canucks to get up to speed, and is finally ready for game action.

Miller is excited to play and is looking forward to getting back and immediately being tested with a contest against the regning champions.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway OnSI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Published
Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

Home/News Feed Page