J.T. Miller’s departure from the Vancouver Canucks may have ended months of speculation, but new details keep emerging about the events that led to his leave of absence last December.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, discussing the topic on Monday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast, something happened following a game against the Nashville Predators that led to Miller stepping away from the team.
The Canucks and the Predators played against each other on Nov. 17, a game that Vancouver lost 5-3 to Nashville in regulation, two days before Miller left the team.
"They had the Nashville game and whatever happened after that game, and I’ve heard a couple of different versions, and nobody will confirm it so I’m not gonna say it," Friedman said. "But whatever the case was, J.T. Miller went on his leave."
Miller's leave of absence sparked trade rumors that lasted for months. Canucks president Jim Rutherford pushed back against speculation at the time, calling it "disrespectful."
"Don’t start making stuff up on someone in his situation," Rutherford told The Province on Dec. 4. "People that do this for fun, or for a living, just go back to making up trade rumors."
Friedman suggested that when Miller returned, the situation did not improve, ultimately leading to the forward's trade to the Rangers.
"When Miller came back from his leave, things just didn’t get better in terms of the relationship and the stress and things like that," Friedman said. "I think everybody hoped he would come back and things would change and they didn’t.
"I think that was when the decision was made, that they were gonna move on."
The Canucks traded Miller in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
