If you haven’t heard rumours swirling around J.T. Miller’s future, you may be living under a rock. The Canucks obviously haven’t made a firm stance on what the outcome of this situation will be; general manager Patrik Allvin recently said that they could see a future with the forward in Vancouver. While that may be true, it’s undeniable what a trade of this magnitude could bring back — and that’s why it’s a legitimate conversation.
An acquiring team wouldn’t get a rental in the soon-to-be 29-year-old. As noted on CapFriendly.com, Miller still has another full season on his contract with a cap hit of $5.25 million. That means two potential playoff runs. As the Lightning have shown with their acquisitions in recent years of Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow, that can be the ideal route to extend a playoff window — even if the team can’t retain the player past their current contract.
That’s why teams around the league, including the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs, have been so inclined to inquire about the forward.
As for the new-look Canucks front office, they have their work cut out for them to get this team back into the playoff picture on a sustainable basis. While having a player like Miller helps them in the near future, the assets they could get back for two playoff runs, versus just one next year at the deadline, could be game-changing to speed along the process. However, since they don’t have to move him now, and can punt the decision to the offseason or next deadline, they can leverage that to increase the return.
What could give Vancouver pause, and of course, entice acquiring teams, is what Miller brings to a lineup on the ice.
While moving Miller will leave a hole in the Canucks lineup, but they’d be selling high thanks to his impressive scoring. So far, he has 20 goals and 37 assists for 57 points in 51 games. That leads the team by a wide margin of 16 points; the next best scorer is Quinn Hughes with 41 points. Even when accounting for ice time, the forward still leads the team. His raw counts put his scoring total at the second-best of his career in fewer games, but when accounting for minutes played, that 3.2 points per 60 scoring rate leads the way. He’s managed this all the while it’s been a pretty challenging year in Vancouver, especially ahead of the coaching change.
With Miller, teams would be adding a versatile forward. That’s one of the biggest benefits. First, there’s positional flexibility. While the early years of his career didn’t see him successfully shift to centre often, he played the pivotal position at points in Tampa Bay and now with the Canucks; just last night that was between Tanner Pearson and Conor Garland in the top-six. But he can easily shift to wing too if a team’s already stacked down the middle.
Boston could use a second-line centre like Miller. Toronto could use him as a top-six winger or a third-line centre, if they preferred. New York has options, too, whether it’s on the wing this year and then down the middle depending on Ryan Strome’s future.
Then there’s versatility in his usage. In Vancouver, he’s become an all situation forward. While he may not be the most complete, two-way force, his offensive skill does translate to short-handed play since he can help disrupt the opposing team’s power-play formations.
But the highlight of his game is his play at the other end of the ice, both at even strength at on the man advantage.
At 5-on-5, he’s one of the best Canucks at getting the puck into the zone with control — ranking third behind Nils Högland and Conor Garland with 13.0 entries per 60. And no one in Vancouver has a higher rate of entries followed by a scoring chance.
His scoring plays come both off the rush and the cycle. That transitional ability obviously plays into the chances generated off the rush. As for the cycle plays, it’s his passing, shooting, and his tendency to retrieve pucks that helps Vancouver’s offence click.
In the offensive zone, he’s one of the team leaders in loose puck retrievals, whether it’s after a shot or a rebound, or while being pressured by his opponents. That’s what can often spark a play, or keep a scoring opportunity going.
Miller isn’t close to the most frequent shooter in Vancouver, but he makes the best of his opportunities. A team-leading 62.7 percent of his 5-on-5 shots come from the slot — whether he’s taking a shot, or using his size to be in a position to redirect one of his teammates’ attempts.
Shooting isn’t his only strength, though. No one’s attempted more offensive zone passes than Miller on the team this season, with 54.1 per 60. And almost 70 percent of those pass attempts have successfully connected with his teammates. So many coaches look for players who can move the puck ‘north and south’ for more of a straight-line game. With his passing, he does that at one of the highest rates on the team, but he also can move the puck east-to-west as well.
Along with that high volume of passing, quality puck movement is a key aspect of it. Miller’s among the best in Vancouver, and around the league, at sending the puck to the slot for his teammates. Sometimes, those passes come when sees his teammates set up with time and space in the higher danger areas, like the clip of Brock Boeser’s shot shows below.
Or when defenders expect him to shoot, and he can slip it to a teammate (again, with Boeser shown below).
Those skills all translate to the man-advantage, whether he’s the passer or the shooter like he was last night against Calgary.
Or, if he’s generating a chance off the rush as pictured below against Ottawa. Miller can cut through defenders and has the hands to make a skillful play in tight.
But on a team with their formations already set, he can shift positions if asked to a net-front role as well.
In Vancouver, especially earlier in the year as the team struggled, he tried to be the leading player which obviously can intensify some pressure and lead to mistakes.
If (or when) Miller’s traded, he’ll likely join a deeper playoff team which should influence his usage. Right now, he’s 10th in the league in average ice time at 20:58. But that could alleviate some pressure of him having to be the contributor, instead of one of the leading scorers when the stakes rise in the playoffs.
As Miller continues to build on what could become a career year, the interest around the league likely only rises for the competitive forward would add both a physical and skillful edge to any contender.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
