Mailbag: Canucks fans weigh in on J.T. Miller’s legacy

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There is little doubt that in J.T. Miller’s 404 games as a Vancouver Canuck, he won over many fans.

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He tallied 437 points in blue and green (or sometimes black and red and gold).

He was well on course to be one of the Canucks’ greats.

With the Canucks facing the New York Rangers (Miller’s new team) on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, we turned the mailbag around this week and asked fans what they felt Miller’s legacy would be.

Best seasons of his career for us. Grateful for that. I wish there could have been more playoff performances, and his departure left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

— Ben Cooper White Cats via BlueSky

There is no disputing that Miller rose to the role the Canucks asked him to play — to be a top driver of offence.

He scored from the get-go, first as part of the Lotto Line with Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson, then driving his own line.

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And yes, there was last spring’s outstanding playoff performance, where he was a true play-driving threat.

He was a catalyst for the offence when things were going well, but when things were going badly, as they were last fall, he was tough to be around.

That, for better or worse, is one of the standout notes on his time in Vancouver.

Guy you wanted on your team when things were going well. Carried the Canucks during ’24 playoff run. Consistently and comically unable to be a positive change-maker when things went awry. Definitely needs to go to therapy.

— 1st Line Centre via BlueSky

In a similar vein to the note above.

I’ll just quote Silver Iodide’s reply to 1st Line Centre on BlueSky: “That about sums it up. Loved his heart when things were going well. Disliked how quickly he gave up when they weren’t.”

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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It’s a shame it didn’t work out in the end. The Nux could use a centre like him now, but at least the blue line looks set now with the addition of M. Pettersson and Mancini.

— DSto via BlueSky

This is an ongoing truth. The Canucks’ lineup has been reset with new faces on the blue line, but it’s still an incomplete picture. The team desperately needs another minute-munching centre.

That will be hard to find — everyone is after such a player. And that’s why the stumbling at the deadline remains so curious — management couldn’t find the player or offer they wanted to make an immediate transition, but they really couldn’t find some things of value they could hold on to and flip for the desired centre this summer?

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One of the rare good moves made by Jim Benning.

— JR via BlueSky

This is basically true. The value on the trade was entirely contingent on how the team would perform immediately. It was a big, big bet by Benning and his staff.

Risk is a necessary thing in building your team, but to that point Benning had made a lot of very bad bets.

And yes, for once, this deal worked out.

Emotional leader of the team, for better or worse. Guys could rally around him and go on a run during good times, or walk on egg shells and be testy during the bad. Probably not someone you wanna spend a whole lot of time with.

— Ryan Gaskin via BlueSky

There were a lot of replies like this, but using much coarser language.

In the end, Miller’s volatility seems to have got the best of him. It unfortunately drove a wedge into the middle of the locker room.

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Coupled with his on-ice struggles, and those of Elias Pettersson, the team circled the drain for much of the season.

Will we ever get at the truth of why the split occurred? Probably not. And, for better or worse, that means no end to wild rumours flying all over town. My only advice is to be skeptical of them, especially as they trend toward the more outrageous end of the scale.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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