It was the blockbuster trade of the season… at least until the Brad Marchand one happened. But nonetheless, the Canucks’ shock move to trade their alternate captain J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers remains one of the biggest moves of the year. And although he has had a below-par season by his standards, he is known to perform in big games and has shown exactly what he has to offer after starring against his former team. Miller starred in that game, scoring a goal and assisting another as the Rangers kept their postseason chances alive. After the game, Miller made a candid revelation about what inspired his performance to help the Rangers to victory.

Yesterday, the Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 in a crucial game for their playoff chances, and naturally, Miller knew quite a bit about his former team. Alongside him, Carson Soucy was also facing his former team, and he also recorded an assist for the Rangers, doubling the pain for Canucks fans. During the post-game interview, Miller was, of course, asked about his old side and if he got the extra motivation from facing the Canucks.

The 32-year-old revealed, “I mean, it’s a fun game. You want to win this one, but this time of year, though, like, it’s just more about the team and where we’re headed and what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s not, you know, ’cause me and Souce are playing against our old team today. Yeah, it’s nice to beat them; for sure, you want to win that one, but it’s just another game.” 

Meanwhile, the stadium echoed with the name of J.T. Miller right throughout the game, despite him playing for the Rangers. It goes to show how much Canucks fans miss watching Miller on their team. Moreover, Miller himself missed the special memories of playing in the Canucks jersey and said, “They created a lot of special memories for me and my family, especially in the playoffs last year. I have three young children and one of their favorite memories was the fans chanting my name, probably something I’ll never get back.”

Thus, J.T. Miller denied that playing against his former team was something that inspired his performance yesterday. And while he had never thought about leaving the Canucks, Miller made an honest revelation following his switch to the Rangers.

J.T. Miller reasoned out his return to the Rangers: “Fresh start was needed”

J.T. Miller joined the Canucks in 2019 and had some of the best moments of his career with them. Notably, the last season was a career best as he broke the 100-point mark for the first time with 103 points. In fact, he finished that season with a career high in terms of goals, assists, and points scored. Furthermore, he was also named an NHL All-Star for the first time in his career.

So it was definitely surprising to some that Miller was the one traded between him and Elias Pettersson after their various rumored bust-ups. Similarly, Miller also didn’t see the trade coming, though he acknowledged that it was an important change.

Speaking to Vince Mercogliano of USA Today ahead of the game, he said, “Leaving Vancouver, it wasn’t really something I ever even thought about. But there was a lot (that happened). It has been a long year for me, personally, away from the game. You sit back and try to evaluate what it means to you. Remember, we are just playing a game. I understand that it is your job. I don’t want to get into too much detail, but, yeah, I think a fresh start was needed.”

In a response to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, he added, “I don’t want to get into too much detail, but, yeah, I think a fresh start was needed. I’ve got nothing bad to say about the Canucks or Vancouver as a city. We loved it there. It felt like home and that’s all you can ask for. But, unfortunately, this is a business and in the business end of things, it was getting difficult.” He also mentioned that the so-called feud with Pettersson had been blown out of proportion.

Nonetheless, J.T. Miller is fully focused on the job at hand, and that is to guide the Rangers to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They currently sit in the fourth spot in the Metropolitan Division and have their chances of progressing through in the balance after the win over the Canucks.