Miller's time has come, winger cleared to player again
Winger returns from COVID-19 protocol to take his place on Vancouver's top line against Flames
The questions are usually about the drive, determination and leadership of J.T. Miller.
On Sunday, they were about how the Vancouver Canucks winger coped with a coronavirus quarantine as a high-risk contact of teammate Jordie Benn.
“Obviously, this thing (COVID-19) spreads like wildfire, so it's important that people do the things they can control,” Miller said after practice in advance of facing the Flames in Calgary on Monday night. “I followed the protocols given to me by the NHL and the (provincial) government.
“This has to be another part of your job and being smart and sticking with your family. It has been a roller-coaster of emotions a little bit from a frustration standpoint. It sucks. I train for this and I've done three quarantines in the last six months (two league mandated) and it's not ideal at all.
“All you can do to try and stay sane is to enjoy the family time. I cherished the time with my little girls and the wife. It's the world we live in now and it's kind of a crappy year, but I try to look at the positives.
“It's awesome being back.” Meanwhile, Benn remains in quarantine. The defenceman didn't practise Jan. 11 at Rogers Arena, a day after the Canucks cancelled on and office training camp sessions, because of an abundance of caution due to potential COVID-19 exposure.
Benn had tested positive after a false positive and was then declared a presumed positive. High-risk close contacts are expected to quarantine, but the length of isolation for NHL players can be different than the general populace.
They're tested on a daily basis with the highly-effective PCR test — polymerase chain reaction and antibody testing — and Miller's case was guided by both the NHL and the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
Now, Miller can get off his Peloton training bike at home and get on with helping to dig the Canucks out of a 1-2-0 start, trigger the transition and ignite an 0-for-11 power play.
“More fuel for the fire,” he said. “You just want to help. You feel kind of helpless sitting on the couch. It was just weird.”
Miller's return not only reunites the Lotto Line with Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, it gets rookie Nils Hoglander back with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson and drops Jake Virtanen back into a bottom-six role.
For coach Travis Green, there's the comfort factor of having the club's moral compass ready to point the club back in the right direction.
“A high-octane player,” said Green. “He's smart and competitive and his engine is always running. And like good players, he wants the puck, he goes and gets it and wants to win badly.”
Miller made an incredible first-season impression by finishing 17th in league scoring with 72 points (27-45) in 69 games. In the post-season, Miller (6-12) and Pettersson (7-11) tied for the club lead with 18 points apiece as the Canucks came within a victory of advancing to the Western Conference final after falling in seven games to Las Vegas.
“It's something about J.T.,” said defenceman Nate Schmidt, who was acquired in the off-season from the Golden Knights. “He's very creative and can make a play you don't think he's going to make. He's hard on pucks and has good speed. His deception and creativity are two of his main assets — and he makes the ones most guys can't make.
“You put him the upper echelon of guys who can look you off and be looking somewhere else to make that play that you don't know is coming.
“And he's got that jam to his game. He'll use the body on you and create separation for the next guy. That type of unpredictability is hard for defencemen. You're thinking: `He's going to block me and get me to go one way.' And then you're pasted up against the glass.
“If you know the hit is coming, you can suck a guy in and make a play. He's reading and reacting and sees plays happening. It's huge having him back. He brings a lot to our group. You just sense his presence on the ice.”