Watching a brother-in-arms leave the camp is never easy, even if they don’t always see eye-to-eye. With J.T. Miller being traded to the New York Rangers, probably that’s what Canuck’s Elias Pettersson might be feeling right now. But for the Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes, this is the time to look beyond the chaos and steer the ship through the difficult waters.

The locker room rift between Petterson and Miller baffled fans as one of the more bizarre incidents of the NHL in recent times. The two top scorers for the Canucks apparently developed tension among themselves, which prompted trade speculations just a few days ago. However, now that the altercation looks to have found its solution, Captain Hughes can’t help but feel a little saddened.

In a post by Sportsnet from January 31, the Canucks leader noted his feelings about Miller’s departure from the squad. On Friday night, Vancouver suffered a loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars, ending its 3-match winning streak and dropping to fifth position in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. While that was a blow in itself, Hughes also had to deal with having to let go of one of his best players. On being asked about his feelings on J.T. Miller being traded to New York, Hughes had a heartfelt confession to make.

“A lot of noise the last couple weeks and months, but to see him go, he’s a heck of a hockey player and I enjoyed playing with him for the six years that I had,” Hughes said, as he wished his ex-teammate all the best for the future. Hughes is going to personally meet his former teammate in about a week’s time, but admitted, “Right now, it doesn’t really seem real, but in next couple of weeks I’m sure it’ll sink in a bit.”

With a rather hollow expression, Hughes went on to say that J.T. Miller’s trade has made it difficult to navigate through the situation as a captain. “For Milsie too, it’s been a lot for him too,” he said, “I think he’s looking forward to a fresh start, but we’re really gonna miss him here.” However, is the Canucks captain the only one who is feeling the blues at the thought of his teammate’s new life in the Big Apple?

J.T. Miller’s “fresh start” isn’t so fresh in reality

After J.T. used his no-move clause to give the trade the green light himself, Elias was heard being emotional about it. “Yeah, obviously a big blow. I lost JT. We lose a skillful, power forward. His play speaks for itself,” the Vancouver forward was heard saying in a social media post by Sportsnet, while declining to comment on their locker room feud. Talk about being loyal to your brethren! But while the Canucks star reel with the blow, it’s not like Miller will be going to a completely new environment to fend for his own.

J.T.’s relationship with New York goes back more than a decade. In fact, the Rangers picked him 15th overall in the 2011 NHL draft, and made his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils in February 2013. And it wasn’t just any debut as a 19-year-old Miller netted two goals in the 4-1 victory, becoming the first Ranger to have a multi-goal game in his Garden debut since 1983. He then swiftly established himself as a mainstay on the roster and ended up playing 6 seasons for the team. He was traded to the Canucks in 2019 in exchange for Marek Mazanec. While Miller settled into his Vancouver shoes well, his and Pettersson’s brawl during a practice session last October turned a lot of heads, which culminated in his latest trade that saw Filip Chytil and Victor Mancini, and a protected draft join the Vancouver side.

How do you think Miller would fare for his first game with the New York Rangers against the Bruins on Saturday? And how will things be when the Rangers and Canucks cross paths in March? Tell us in a comment!