J.T. Miller managed to score only nine goals in 40 games with Canucks this season. Instead of making the news for his prolific scoring ability, Miller was making headlines for his feud with Elias Pettersson. Yet, those who doubted Miller’s ability quickly got a reality check when the veteran player took no time to put his name on the scoreboard during his first game back for the New York Rangers.

“Well, that didn’t take long. JT Miller scores in his first period back with the #NYR,” posted The Hockey News. And just as Canucks’ fans were taking their time to recover from the J.T. Miller-shaped hole in their hearts, Canucks management decided to rip off the band-aid. “End of era. The JT Miller banner is down at @RogersArena,” posted Parlay One Media CEO Shanel Pratap.

He also shared a snapshot of the moment J.T. Miller’s banner came down, and fans weren’t happy. “Still gutted by this trade,” commented one fan after watching Miller spring back to form with the Rangers. “We’ve f***ed up big-time,” added the Canucks fan. Considering how Miller not only scored two goals for the Rangers in his first game but also recorded two assists in his second, such a reaction is not surprising.

To say Miller’s turnaround has been drastic would be an understatement because the forward was having his worst season since joining the Vancouver Canucks in 2021. The 31-year-old who found the back of the net 37 times in 81 appearances last season managed to score only nine before being traded to the Rangers. Still, the Canucks are reported to have tried their best to keep the forward in their ranks.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said J.T. Miller’s feud with Pettersson had been brewing at least since the beginning of the season. In the latest episode of ’32 Thoughts, Friedman disclosed that a players-only meeting happened around October 2024, to help Miller and Pettersson get along. Unfortunately, it was a patchwork solution to an unsolvable problem. However, many fans didn’t want to see Miller leave despite the troubles.

Vancouver Canucks fans want to see J.T. Miller honored

Some fans didn’t shy away from expressing their visceral reaction to watching the final sign of Miller playing for Vancouver get taken down. “Screaming, crying, throwing up,” a fan wrote on Pratap’s post on X. While, such a response might come across as exaggerated, the sentiment was clear: Fans wanted to see the NHL team honor the former player.

“Bull***. Untrade JT Miller pls,” commented another after watching the Canucks nonchalantly take down the banner for the star who scored 143 goals during his time with Vancouver. Even Pettersson commented on the trade. “We lose a skillful, power forward. His play speaks for itself,” confessed the player who was part of the feud that led to the trade.

However, the Canucks squeezed every bit of value they could from the J.T. Miller trade, at least on paper. Vancouver picked up Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a protected 2025 first-round pick in exchange for Miller, Erik Brannstrom, and Jackson Dorrington. Instead of preserving the first-round pick, the team acquired Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins that same evening.

Trading Filip Chytil for Miller has also proven to be the right gamble, at least initially. Chytil made an immediate impact, scoring a goal during his Canucks debut in their 3-2 OT loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Yet, while the trade cannot be undone, fans urged the Canucks to do something special with the banner. “I hope they memorialize it somehow. Don’t just throw it out,” commented one J.T. Miller fan.

Meanwhile, another fan even had a suggestion about what the team could do with the banner instead of disposing it unceremoniously. “Cut it up into collectible hockey cards and sell them at the in-game Canucks store,” the netizen suggested. While it’s unlikely that the former Vancouver Canucks star will get a special shoutout after the trade, it’s apparent that fans will miss seeing the forward donning their team’s colors while playing on the ice.