For Miller, a Canucks' season for the ages
What to do with star forward will be one of the major questions facing management this summer
EDMONTON — Whatever happens with J.T. Miller this summer, his 2021-22 NHL season will be one that will be talked about for years.
Miller didn't get to 100 points, but to be listed alongside Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Markus Naslund, Alex Mogilny and Pavel Bure is nothing to sniff at.
It's a statement about a quality player hitting all his marks.
All of the previous five Canucks to hit triple digits were among the game's best — but none were century mark regulars. It's hard to do.
Miller picked up a goal Friday at Edmonton's Rogers Place, as his visiting Vancouver Canucks skated to a 3-2 shootout loss against a playoff-bound Oilers in the final game of the regular season for both teams. That gave him 99 points on the season, ninthmost in the league.
The goal was also his 18th point in 13 games in April, a strong finish to a season where he's never taken his foot off the gas.
Conor Garland scored the Canucks' other goal, while the Oilers' goals were scored by defencemen Brett Kulak and Tyson Barrie. The shootout winner was scored by Devin Shore. Here's what we learned ...
THE MILLER DILEMMA
Miller, who just turned 29, has one more year on his contract. He'll be 30 when his new deal starts.
Being 30 is not a good thing in the NHL. Canucks fans need only remember that Loui Eriksson was 30 when he signed his disastrous six-year deal in 2016.
Miller just had the best season of his career. And since joining the Canucks, he's been one of their most consistent and best players. The question for the Canucks is, how long can he sustain it?
General manager Patrik Allvin was pretty clear when he spoke with Postmedia earlier this month: the team has some great players, but lacks the kind of superstar you can truly commit a large portion of your salary cap to, like his old team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, were able to do with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.
If the Canucks decide they aren't going to be able to retain Miller beyond this season, it's hard to see them going into next season with him on the roster.
MILLER'S DILEMMA
For Miller, the question would seem straightforward: does he go for the money but take the risk he may land on a team where he's not necessarily the No. 1 guy or does he stay in a place where he's likely to be the top dog?
Given how he's played here and how much coach Bruce Boudreau likes his play, there's a good chance he'll be a top dog here for several seasons to come.
But there are only so many money-making opportunities in any player's career, and in Miller's case, assuming he has another strong season, he could stand to do well in free agency.
A FINE PERFORMANCE
The Canucks have pretty clearly committed to Spencer Martin as their backup for next season and his performance Friday, his second in two nights and third of the week, was yet another piece of evidence in his favour.
He was pressed into emergency duty this week after Thatcher Demko apparently hit a physical wall on last week's road trip in Minnesota and Calgary — his specific injury is unknown, but he didn't look himself on several goals against — and Jaro Halák injured his hand in last week's loss to the Ottawa Senators.
The Oilers may have been missing their stars — both Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were scratched, giving them some rest before their playoff series vs. Los Angeles — but they still tested Martin more than once.
Martin, as he has in every start this season for Vancouver, never looked flustered. He gave his team a chance to win, making a number of tough stops, and when you're a backup goalie, that's all your team asks.
THE COACH QUESTION
The other big question on the night: what is Bruce Boudreau's future?
“Just waiting till the end of the year. So we don't need to ask any questions about that,” he said Thursday morning when asked about his contract situation. It's understood his deal has a team option for next year. He hasn't talked much about his contract situation, but when he's opened the door, he's made it clear he really likes Vancouver.
The coach helped his team find another gear after he took over. They weren't perfect in their efforts and they did come up short in the end, but he won far more than he lost and it's hard not to wonder how he might do with a better constructed lineup, one that doesn't have to lean so heavily on its goalies night after night.
He certainly earned the adulation of the fans, who once again serenaded him with the “Bruce, there it is,” chant on Thursday night, the last home game of the season.