Player Discussion JT Miller Appreciation Thread (2021)

[Petey O]

Kuzmenko - Pettersson - Podkolzin
Miller - Horvat - Garland

as our top 6, pls. Switch up the wingers as necessary, but this should be the base.

Trade Boeser for a 3C or pay to move him and bring in a 3C with the money he frees up. Preferably one that is a very effective defensive player.

 

[Bougieman]

I love Miller. Amazing player. But he is prone to mistakes more than our other top guys are when you push him too hard and tire him out, and they are playing him WAAAY too many minutes right now. Allow this guy to succeed by cutting back his ice time about a third from what it is right now, and he'll be happy, we'll be happy, and the puck will be in the Canucks net a lot less often. Less is more with Miller.

Bruce should know this. He really should. If a dope like me can figure it out, Bruce should have. He's made some odd deployment choices this season so far, and I don't like that he pissed away much of the preseason trying to figure out who would get to play in the bottom six. It's the exact same thing Green was doing last preseason, and what do you know, we're off to the same start again.

 

[sandwichbird2023]

If it helps the team win, I think he should be happy to play wherever they need him to.

For sure that's what it SHOULD be, but my impression is that Miller doesn't always react positively when things doesn't go his way.

 

[Hit the post]

For sure that's what it SHOULD be, but my impression is that Miller doesn't always react positively when things doesn't go his way.

It's the "old" joke that you don't have to see the actual scoreboard to note how well (or bad) the team is doing. Just to a closeup on *insert player here* to find out. But hey, he's "the real Captain" on the team.

Some guys were always meant to be "2nd in command". He's the ultimate "Riker" of the NHL.

 

[biturbo19]

More like, "JT Miller depreciation Thread".

He's still a far better player than he's looked to start this season. But it's astonishing how much he's done to tarnish his reputation with fans so quickly after signing a huge new megadeal. That was already going to be an uphill battle to "win" on and live up to. Then he gets off to...this sort of memeworthy start.


Should probably try to find a way to pull the ripcord on Miller playing at Center for a bit. Playing as a pivot just tends to exacerbate the volatility in his play. Unfortunately, that leaves us with 2 effective Centers and 1 limited minutes 4th liner. Nobody to actually Center the 3rd Line.

It's where i was okay with bringing Miller back. At worst, he's a good power winger. But they really needed to look at some creative ways to have at least some sort of "backup plan" beyond Petey/Bo/Miller all Centering their own lines.

 

[Ruthervin]

Kuzmenko - Pettersson - Podkolzin
Miller - Horvat - Garland

as our top 6, pls. Switch up the wingers as necessary, but this should be the base.

Trade Boeser for a 3C or pay to move him and bring in a 3C with the money he frees up. Preferably one that is a very effective defensive player.

I'd be down for this idea. Like this a lot.

 

[Ruthervin]

More like, "JT Miller depreciation Thread".

He's still a far better player than he's looked to start this season. But it's astonishing how much he's done to tarnish his reputation with fans so quickly after signing a huge new megadeal. That was already going to be an uphill battle to "win" on and live up to. Then he gets off to...this sort of memeworthy start.


Should probably try to find a way to pull the ripcord on Miller playing at Center for a bit. Playing as a pivot just tends to exacerbate the volatility in his play. Unfortunately, that leaves us with 2 effective Centers and 1 limited minutes 4th liner. Nobody to actually Center the 3rd Line.

It's where i was okay with bringing Miller back. At worst, he's a good power winger. But they really needed to look at some creative ways to have at least some sort of "backup plan" beyond Petey/Bo/Miller all Centering their own lines.

I like @Ttocsurt ot Sehguh 's idea of elevating Bo to the 2nd line while moving Brock for a defensively responsible (yet not offensively limited) 3rd line C that can take on tough match-ups, kill penalties, and can still effectively utilize his line mates as a 3rd line C. Lets face it - Brock isn't getting you a top 4 RD but there *is* a chance that he gets you a good 3rd line C.

Put Horvat with Miller. These guys have really played with one another but they played together during the St. Louis series if I recall correctly - and looked good. If one of Horvat or Petey gets injured, you could always move Miller back to C.

 

[Hit the post]

I like @Ttocsurt ot Sehguh 's idea of elevating Bo to the 2nd line while moving Brock for a defensively responsible (yet not offensively limited) 3rd line C that can take on tough match-ups, kill penalties, and can still effectively utilize his line mates as a 3rd line C. Lets face it - Brock isn't getting you a top 4 RD but there *is* a chance that he gets you a good 3rd line C.

Put Horvat with Miller. These guys have really played with one another but they played together during the St. Louis series if I recall correctly - and looked good. If one of Horvat or Petey gets injured, you could always move Miller back to C.

Brock and Horvat combined won't get you a top 4 RD. Miller by himself *could*.

 

[biturbo19]

I like @Ttocsurt ot Sehguh 's idea of elevating Bo to the 2nd line while moving Brock for a defensively responsible (yet not offensively limited) 3rd line C that can take on tough match-ups, kill penalties, and can still effectively utilize his line mates as a 3rd line C. Lets face it - Brock isn't getting you a top 4 RD but there *is* a chance that he gets you a good 3rd line C.

Put Horvat with Miller. These guys have really played with one another but they played together during the St. Louis series if I recall correctly - and looked good. If one of Horvat or Petey gets injured, you could always move Miller back to C.

It's not a bad thought, in a vacuum. I think the extra flexibility and insurance having 4 Top-6/9 Centers brings is huge. Especially when it comes to giving you options if one of them is injured or playing like total trash, or you just need a shakeup of the lines and a totally different look.

My question though is, much like the neverending hunt for a Top-4 RHD...which teams out there are actually sitting around with a big surplus of quality Centers they want to move for a Winger? I'm struggling to identify them off the top of my head.

Especially complicated by Boeser's fairly large salary. That team would also have to either have significant cap wiggle room, or be sending back other pieces with significant salary as well.


The Isles come to mind as a popular target obviously. If Boeser could be moved for something like Pageau+Mayfield, that's great. But that leaves them without a real 3rd Line Center. So i don't see why they'd do it.

 

[Ruthervin]

Brock and Horvat combined won't get you a top 4 RD. Miller by himself *could*.

We might have to agree to disagree on this one. Horvat definitely gets you a top 4 RD imo.

It's not a bad thought, in a vacuum. I think the extra flexibility and insurance having 4 Top-6/9 Centers brings is huge. Especially when it comes to giving you options if one of them is injured or playing like total trash, or you just need a shakeup of the lines and a totally different look.

My question though is, much like the neverending hunt for a Top-4 RHD...which teams out there are actually sitting around with a big surplus of quality Centers they want to move for a Winger? I'm struggling to identify them off the top of my head.

Especially complicated by Boeser's fairly large salary. That team would also have to either have significant cap wiggle room, or be sending back other pieces with significant salary as well.


The Isles come to mind as a popular target obviously. If Boeser could be moved for something like Pageau+Mayfield, that's great. But that leaves them without a real 3rd Line Center. So i don't see why they'd do it.

Agreed. Pageau is also who I had in mind but like you alluded to, why would they fill one hole for another.

Maybe the Isle's do something around Horvat and Boeser for Pulock and Pageau?

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

I am convinced this franchise has been totally conned by this guy. Probably the biggest con job since Messier f***ed us.

 

[Play]

We’re completely f***ed.

 

[Isi]

I am convinced this franchise has been totally conned by this guy. Probably the biggest con job since Messier f***ed us.

does it count as a con if you see the warning signs but choose to ignore them

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

does it count as a con if you see the warning signs but choose to ignore them

Yes.

Example: I been getting conned by this franchise for 35 years now.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Looking like Loui 2.0

 

[Hit the post]

Looking like Loui 2.0

Loui *NEVER* looked good in a Canucks uniform. *HUGE* difference.

 

[Hacketts]

does he look like a different player this season?

 

[JTmillerForA1stLOL]

Regardless of his current play, this contract was absolutely unnecessary from the start. This franchise is not in a position to commit this kind of term to a player like Miller. Did they not even evaluate the risk vs reward? At best he peaks while the team is trash, at worst he's trash while the team is also trash.

No prospects... management that is allergic to keeping picks let alone acquiring more... a fetish for giving out or acquiring albatross contacts. Has anything even changed since Benning?

The future is truly bleak for this floundering franchise.

 

[rypper]

Loui *NEVER* looked good in a Canucks uniform. *HUGE* difference.

From his first game scoring into his own net, to not even putting up 100 points for the team over his time in vancouver... last on the ice for practice, first off. What a complete bum.

 

[David71]

looking like loui erikkson contract anchor. at least he backchecked even if his skating was gone.. miller man oh man.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Brock and Horvat combined won't get you a top 4 RD. Miller by himself *could*.

Horvat alone should. Not a great 4RD but he should.

Not so sure about Miller. That contract extension looks horrific right now.


What team wants to add this type of player in to their locker room and then have him pretty much stapled to the franchise for the next decade?

does he look like a different player this season?

He looks like the player from 2020-2021 but on heroin.

 

[Hodgy]

The concerning thing about Miller isn’t that he’s sucking. Players go through slumps and that’s fine. The problem is that he’s putting in a terrible effort for someone who just signed a massive contract. He says all the right things about accountability but acts like a child on the ice.

That board battle against a much smaller player in Kaprisov said it all. Gets totally outworked by a much smaller player that wants it way more and as a result the Canucks lose possession to the Wild who then score.

 

[VIPettersson]

Too much puck watching and no effort. In some ways I hope the rumors of a locker room divide are true because it would at least explain some of the things happening. If the rumors aren't true then we just got another massive anchor.

 

[maroon 6]

He's been bad this season but I think our fickle fanbase and media need to calm down a little. It's been 5 games and in which the whole team besides a select few players, hasn't looked good. Miller has been our best and most consistent player in the past 3 years and 200+ games yet all it takes for our fanbase and media to turn on him is 5 games. I guess I'm not totally surprised by his bad start considering him and his wife had a baby just weeks before training camp. I don't think his off season preparation in August and September (around the time of his child's birth) was not quite the same as it would be for any other season. And I can't imagine it being easy for him flying across the continent and to another country away from your wife, kids and newborn for a month.

 

[Canucker]

I'm not sure what Miller's off-season training regimen looks like, but he looks out of shape to me...he looks slow and gassed all the time. He's always prone to bonehead passes and lazy backchecking but now he looks like he's trying to play himself into game shape rather than coming in prepared. I'm betting he will begin to turn the corner around the 8-10 game mark, but if it's not a conditioning issue it could be real trouble.