J.T. Miller | #9 | C/W

[73 Percent]

1 minute ago, EternalCanuckFan said:

Anyone else of the opinion that it might not be a bad idea for the Canucks to give the line-up a run with Miller at C apart from Pettersson?  Miller has looked good in the middle and moving forward, that would provide much more flexibility for the team since they have more Ws than Cs that are likely to be ready to make the jump soon.  As it stands, moving Miller to C would allow the line-up to look like this (players under team control - not necessarily saying this should be the line-up order btw):

 

Hoglander-Petterson-Boeser

LW-Horvat-Gaudette

Roussel-Miller-Virtanen

Motte-Beagle-MacEwen

 

Options for open positions:  Podkolzin (I assume he will be signed), Hawryluk (appears he's a RFA this summer?), Bailey (also still a RFA this summer apparently), Lind, Jasek, Gadjovich (long shot, IMHO, but would be nice to see, especially after his play so far this season), Michaelis

 

While it doesn't look significantly different from:

 

Miller-Petterson-Boeser

Hoglander-Horvat-Gaudette

Roussel-3C-Virtanen

Motte-Beagle-MacEwen

 

the options for the 3C position are super limited within the system and I don't think the Canucks can be players for some of the "big" names who would probably fill that role (e.g. Lowry, Laughton, etc.). 

 

We'll see if the Canucks make any moves for the TDL this season and what happens at the Expansion Draft which may significantly alter personnel expectations heading into  the off season, but whatever the case is, I think moving Miller to C will give the Canucks significantly more balance instead of trying to throw money in efforts to fix their lack of C depth.  It also forces Miller to play more responsibly.  The Canucks have existing W depth in the system to at least try and promote from within, and there will likely be more Ws than Cs available in FA so to me this makes the most sense for Miller's role in the future.

I much prefer to just move petey to LW and keep miller on that line. Petey isnt good in the dot and not great in his own zone either. Miller also adds the jam that that line lacks. Petey hog brock is charmin soft.

[Wilbur]

Miller moves into 90th in all-time Canuck scoring with his assist tonight.

 

89.  Bret Hedican	D	310	17	85	102
90.  J.T. Miller	LW	101	36	65	101
91.  Brandon Sutter	C	267	51	49	100
92.  Per-Olov Brasar	LW	181	37	63	100

[-DLC-]

 

[73 Percent]

On 3/21/2021 at 12:43 AM, Wilbur said:

Miller moves into 90th in all-time Canuck scoring with his assist tonight.

 

89.  Bret Hedican	D	310	17	85	102
90.  J.T. Miller	LW	101	36	65	101
91.  Brandon Sutter	C	267	51	49	100
92.  Per-Olov Brasar	LW	181	37	63	100

PPG!

[Sp3nny]

Anyone else disappointed in Miller this year? Don't get me wrong, it's not like he's a complete dog or anything, but his effort this year is just not anywhere it was last year. In spurts, he shows the same desire and battle, and then 5 minutes later, you see him just stop skating and give up on a play. Sometimes, this appears to be after a teammate makes a mistake, or even his own mistake, but still, your looked at as a leader on the team. Show it!

 

Last night on the 3rd goal by Scheifele, Miller doesn't hustle to the corner and gets beat, then decides to chase behind the net which was fine, but then he literally makes the most half-hearted poke at Wheeler in front of the net and gives up, letting Wheeler get the shot and Scheifele the eventual goal. I've seen this happen so many times this year now, and it's starting to become very aggravating.

 

Also, he looks like the new Sbisa out there with his giveaways. Some are just so boneheaded, or he just chucks the puck to the point with wild abandon. I think the Nucks disappointing performance so far is starting to rub off on him. Just something I've noticed lately. Like I said, he hasn't been horrible or anything, but his lack of effort has been very frustrating at times...

[KirkSave]

22 minutes ago, Sp3nny said:

Anyone else disappointed in Miller this year? Don't get me wrong, it's not like he's a complete dog or anything, but his effort this year is just not anywhere it was last year. In spurts, he shows the same desire and battle, and then 5 minutes later, you see him just stop skating and give up on a play. Sometimes, this appears to be after a teammate makes a mistake, or even his own mistake, but still, your looked at as a leader on the team. Show it!

 

Last night on the 3rd goal by Scheifele, Miller doesn't hustle to the corner and gets beat, then decides to chase behind the net which was fine, but then he literally makes the most half-hearted poke at Wheeler in front of the net and gives up, letting Wheeler get the shot and Scheifele the eventual goal. I've seen this happen so many times this year now, and it's starting to become very aggravating.

 

Also, he looks like the new Sbisa out there with his giveaways. Some are just so boneheaded, or he just chucks the puck to the point with wild abandon. I think the Nucks disappointing performance so far is starting to rub off on him. Just something I've noticed lately. Like I said, he hasn't been horrible or anything, but his lack of effort has been very frustrating at times...

He's certainly had a tough year and I agree with most of your observations. The play driver, tenacious puck hound from last year has only been on display in spurts this season.

 

When he's going, the team seems to feed off his energy and so far, it's been lacking this season. 

 

I am a huge fan of Miller overall but have also been disapointed with is compete/attitude this season. I still think he is an integral part of this team having success in the present and the future.

[Sp3nny]

1 hour ago, KirkSave said:

He's certainly had a tough year and I agree with most of your observations. The play driver, tenacious puck hound from last year has only been on display in spurts this season.

 

When he's going, the team seems to feed off his energy and so far, it's been lacking this season. 

 

I am a huge fan of Miller overall but have also been disapointed with is compete/attitude this season. I still think he is an integral part of this team having success in the present and the future.

100%. When he's on, the team follows suit. I've been impressed with both Bo and especially Boeser in the compete department, as they seem to give their all every game. Boeser in particular has made great strides in this department, likely due to injury recovery, which is great.

 

I'm a big Miller fan myself, I liked acquisition from the get go, and have been very pleased so far. And he still brings it most of the time, but its not the same as last year. It's much easier to see this year why he was labeled as having attitude issues. So far, we have only seen a desire to win, which at times brought frustration, but never affected his desire. But that frustration is starting to turn him off at times this year.

 

He's absolutely part of our success going forward, would just be nice to see him get back to the compete levels of last year.

[dpn1]

I like JT but has anyone else wondered if last season is the highest production he will have in his career?  Just curious. 

[-AJ-]

51 minutes ago, dpn1 said:

I like JT but has anyone else wondered if last season is the highest production he will have in his career?  Just curious. 

Most people thought that I think.

[aGENT]

1 hour ago, dpn1 said:

I like JT but has anyone else wondered if last season is the highest production he will have in his career?  Just curious. 

It might. I also think as Pettersson and Hughes actually enter their primes and the support below/around them continues to increase as more prospects etc arrive, there's a solid chance it might also still increase.

 

That said, even if it doesn't increase and he just stays +/- near 1ppg for next few years... That's not really a problem either. I'll happily take +/- 70-80 point pace Miller.

[CaptKirk888]

2 hours ago, dpn1 said:

I like JT but has anyone else wondered if last season is the highest production he will have in his career?  Just curious. 

Considering that including last season and this one that he scored 100 points in his first 100 games as a Canuck I would say no. I think in a full season he will be capable of keeping that point per game pace and thus end up with over 80. He is in his prime, not declining.

[lmm]

J T for captain

[bigbadcanucks]

27 minutes ago, lmm said:

J T for captain

IMHO, JT or any other player doesn't need to wear a letter to be a leader.  Without knowing with certainty what goes on in the Canucks dressing room, I'm going to guess that JT Miller is the de facto leader on the Canucks squad. 

 

A letter on the front of the jersey is for public consumption, which to me, is not all that important.  It may be important for others, which I understand.

[Sp3nny]

I think I would sit Miller for a game after tonight's performance. Of course everyone has an off night or game or whatever, but this has been a few weeks now. I get that this season has been frustrating, especially for the Canucks, but man the mistakes coupled with the almost complete shutdown after is just so annoying. Guy gives the puck away so many times, and follows it up by just completely giving up. He did it on both Draisaitl's and Nurse's goals. I don't care if you are mathematically eliminated, that's just unacceptable from a leader on the team. Sends a bad message to the young guys like Rathbone in his first NHL game, and our other rookie Hoglander who plays his ass off every night on the same line as Miller.

[Captain Canuck #12]

JT for captain!

[aGENT]

12 hours ago, Sp3nny said:

I think I would sit Miller for a game after tonight's performance. Of course everyone has an off night or game or whatever, but this has been a few weeks now. I get that this season has been frustrating, especially for the Canucks, but man the mistakes coupled with the almost complete shutdown after is just so annoying. Guy gives the puck away so many times, and follows it up by just completely giving up. He did it on both Draisaitl's and Nurse's goals. I don't care if you are mathematically eliminated, that's just unacceptable from a leader on the team. Sends a bad message to the young guys like Rathbone in his first NHL game, and our other rookie Hoglander who plays his ass off every night on the same line as Miller.

Meh. He's a heart on sleeve guy. It is what it is.

 

That's great when things are going well and he can be an emotional lightning rod for the team and use that as a spring board to elevate his and his team's play (like we saw last year).

 

But when the team's playing poorly because of compressed schedules and a massive Covid outbreak and the season has in general been a frustrating pile of excrement... It shows up as frustration, poor decisions etc.

 

Comes with the territory of that personality type. 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by aGENT

[Sp3nny]

10 minutes ago, aGENT said:

Meh. He's a heart on sleeve guy. It is what it is.

 

That's great when things are going well and he can be an emotional lightning rod for the team and use that as a spring board to elevate his and his team's play (like we're saw last year).

 

But when the team's playing poorly because of compressed schedules and a massive Covid outbreak and the season has in general been a frustrating pile of excrement... It shows up as frustration, poor decisions etc.

 

Comes with the territory of that personality type. 

 

 

 

I know, and I said as much in my post. This has been an extremely tough year for the team, so its hard to be critical of them. Mistakes are always made, and I can accept that of course. But how he responds after is highly frustrating. On both Draisaitl and Nurse's goals, he makes zero effort after his mistake. He literally stops playing for 2 seconds and just stands there, then starts half heartedly skating while others are trying to get back. If I'm that other guy, I'm pissed. He has done this almost the entire year, which IMO is starting to become a pattern, and not a one off. That's what I don't like.

[spook007]

12 hours ago, Sp3nny said:

I think I would sit Miller for a game after tonight's performance. Of course everyone has an off night or game or whatever, but this has been a few weeks now. I get that this season has been frustrating, especially for the Canucks, but man the mistakes coupled with the almost complete shutdown after is just so annoying. Guy gives the puck away so many times, and follows it up by just completely giving up. He did it on both Draisaitl's and Nurse's goals. I don't care if you are mathematically eliminated, that's just unacceptable from a leader on the team. Sends a bad message to the young guys like Rathbone in his first NHL game, and our other rookie Hoglander who plays his ass off every night on the same line as Miller.

Agree somewhat that everyone ahould be held accountable, but think with all the circumstances, this season is a re-do... but was also extremely frustrated to see such play by Miller. 

[Sp3nny]

7 minutes ago, spook007 said:

Agree somewhat that everyone ahould be held accountable, but think with all the circumstances, this season is a re-do... but was also extremely frustrated to see such play by Miller. 

For sure. Personally, as much as it pains me to say it, I think our next year will be closer to this season than last year, where we over-achieved to an extent, which is going to mean more frustration. I think that's what scares me about seeing Miller's play in its current state. Of course, maybe we are better next year, which would be fantastic! But if its more of the same, I wonder what effect that is going to take on him?

 

I'm not trying to say he isn't a good player or anything, and I don't want a Torts-Laine like hit job where we are playing our better players on the 4th line cause the effort isn't perfect. But I do think at somepoint, a point has to be made known that mistakes, especially repetitive, have to be accounted for and corrected. How else can you expect the team to improve?

[spook007]

3 hours ago, Sp3nny said:

For sure. Personally, as much as it pains me to say it, I think our next year will be closer to this season than last year, where we over-achieved to an extent, which is going to mean more frustration. I think that's what scares me about seeing Miller's play in its current state. Of course, maybe we are better next year, which would be fantastic! But if its more of the same, I wonder what effect that is going to take on him?

 

I'm not trying to say he isn't a good player or anything, and I don't want a Torts-Laine like hit job where we are playing our better players on the 4th line cause the effort isn't perfect. But I do think at somepoint, a point has to be made known that mistakes, especially repetitive, have to be accounted for and corrected. How else can you expect the team to improve?

Absolutely, and very likely you'll be right, but if it Lind and Maybe Godjovic, Lockwood etc are on the team, I can live with another down year, but after that, all the anchor contract are gone as well as penalties, and then things has to change...

 

Agree on accountability, and that it should be for everyone on the team. And I'm certain that Miller will be the first to hold his hand up, for what's been happening. If Green had had the horses, he may even have been giving him a rest day or two, but just don't think that's possible with all the issues they have just now...