Danny Wild-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2bf70b36-0851-4d8b-bf99-e829ad13050e.jpeg] Danny Wild-Imagn Images The long-awaited matchup is finally here. The New York Rangers are set to face the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday afternoon, which means J.T. Miller will play against his former team. It was a rocky ending for Miller in Vancouver as a reported feud between him and Elias Pettersson spread like rapid fire throughout the Canucks organization and became a league-wide story. Miller took a ten-game leave of absence in November, and when he returned, the drama had not subsided; in fact, it actually got worse. All of the outside noise caused the Canucks to trade Miller to the Rangers on Jan. 31. While the 31-year-old forward admitted he needed a fresh start, he made clear there’s no bad blood with his former teammates. “No, I don't know how to answer that. It's like a trap,” Miller said of if he’s mad at his former teammates. “No, I'm mad at them. We have 12 games left. We have to win a lot of them, so it's only thing I'm worried about.” Miller had his best statistical season with the Canucks during the 2023-24 campaign, recording 37 goals, 66 assists and 103 points in 81 games. Over his time with the Canucks from 2019-2025, Miller grew as a player, person and father, so he’s forever grateful to the Vancouver community. “Nothing but great things. Raised my three kids there, my wife and I have so many friends outside of the game, and you want to love the city,” Miller said. “And what the fans showed for me while I was there is something I'll never forget, so it's a great organization, great place to play hockey, passionate fan base. They treated me with the utmost respect while I was there and nothing but thankful for the opportunity.” Going to Vancouver was really a turning point in Miller’s career. He went from a valuable role player with potential to a legitimate top-tier center. Miller feels that playing with the Canucks allowed him to blossom into the player he always knew he could be. “Well, they just gave me an opportunity,” Miller said. “When I was here (the Rangers), I was younger, just learning how to play playoff hockey and I wasn’t ready yet. Went to Tampa who had tons of superstars, so I was more of a depth player. “Got an opportunity there (the Canucks). They were a losing team for a number of years, got lucky to play with some really good players there, so feel very lucky and fortunate. Like I said, I’m very grateful.” Everyone’s probably anticipating Miller to get scrappy with some of the Canucks players, but it doesn't seem like he wants it to be that way. In fact, Miller is expected to go out for dinner with a few of his Vancouver teammates before Saturday afternoon’s highly anticipated matchup. “Some of my best friends are on that team,” Miller reiterated. “We’re getting dinner tonight, but once tomorrow comes, it’s going to be a war. We all understand that and we would all rather it be that way anyway. It’s all business when we get out there. Like I said, they need points too. Need to play well and we need to win the game, so it's going to be a hard-fought game.”
