Canucks coach digs into JT Miller amid trade speculation

The Vancouver Canucks lost to the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 on Thursday night. It was their 12th loss in their last 16 games, which sent them out of the playoffs. Bad play on the ice is in the shadows locker room drama featuring Elias Pettersson and JT Miller. After the Kings’ loss, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet ripped Miller for a bad game.

“Yeah, he’s fighting,” Tocchet said when asked about Miller. “He’s caught in between.” It seems like every time he’s on the ice something bad happens. I think he has some bad luck, but he also has some reads, he has to look at himself right now and focus on some of these reads.”

He ended his response with, “I think he’s trying. Sometimes I think the focus level needs to be a little higher.”

Miller has been with the Canucks for six seasons and is coming off the worst season of his career in Vancouver. He has only eight goals and 21 assists in 34 games and could be traded. But his contract has a no-movement clause, so if he doesn’t want to move, he won’t.

The The Canucks could deal one of their star centers at the NHL trade deadline. Tocchet’s recent comments indicate the organization’s desire to end this saga.

The Canucks should move on from JT Miller

An easy way to get JT Miller to waive his no-go clause is to publicly crush him. No one would want to work at a place where their boss openly says they are not good at their job. And that’s essentially what Tochet did on Thursday. Coaches rarely name players when talking about team struggles, as you can see from Tocchet in the first part of his press conference.

The problem is the contract the Canucks gave Miller in the 2022 NHL Draft. His $8 million annual payment will carry through the 2029-30 season and make him difficult to trade. While Pettersson has been paid more for longer, he is having a better season and is younger. Although he is a veteran center who can help a playoff team, he will be hard to replace.

One report revealed that the Canucks received a trade offer for JT Miller. The Rangers offered Mika Zibanejad, an $8.5 million center they are having a tough seasonfor Miller. He started his career at Rangers, so he might give up going there. But the Canucks declined the deal so they will be hoping for a better offer soon.