Canucks insider speculates 'vicious' J.T. Miller rumor which led ex-Canucks forward to take a long leave of absence

J.T. Miller’s time with the Vancouver Canucks remains a hot topic of discussion following his trade to the New York Rangers. On Monday, NHL insider Rick Dhaliwal spoke about Miller on the Donnie & Dhali podcast, speculating about an incident that might have led to his leave of absence.

Dhaliwal pointed to Nov. 17, when Miller was benched against the Nashville Predators. Just two days later, he took a leave from the team, missing 10 games.

"Everybody's going back to the night... I've heard a million rumors of what happened that night..." Dhaliwal said. "There was another vicious rumor on the weekend about JT and what happened that night."

Dhaliwal said Miller may have had a confrontation with a coach but was unsure if it was verbal or physical.

"Look, the bottom line is, he's not here anymore..." Dhaliwal said. "I just heard he had a confrontation with a coach. Did he have a confrontation with a coach? (Verbal or physical?) That one, I don't know, just a confrontation I've heard so I don't know until JT comes out and says, what happened."

J.T. Miller, 31, was in the third year of a seven-year, $56 million contract ($8 million AAV) he signed in Sept. 2022. He was a key offensive player for Vancouver, contributing 11 goals and 28 assists in 42 games this season.

"I can't sit there and go there," Dhaliwal said. "But clearly, Don for him to take a leave after. It was only two days after the Nashville game, so clearly something happened there."

On Friday, Miller was traded to the Rangers for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a 2025 first-round pick. New York also received Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington in the trade. The move came days after Canucks president Jim Rutherford said Miller’s relationship with Elias Pettersson had hurt the team.

J.T. Miller talked about his trade from Vancouver

Since joining the NY Rangers, J.T. Miller has made an immediate impact. He scored two goals in a 6-3 loss to the Bruins and recorded two assists in a 4-2 win against the Golden Knights.

“It’s kind of like a numb feeling,” Miller said following the Rangers game, per NHL. “Very excited, very happy. It was a big game today, for the team. I’m starting to realize that when I got here. A hard-fought game. But definitely been a long 24 hours.”

Miller is now reunited with his childhood teammate Vincent Trocheck in New York. He is focused on helping the Rangers qualify for the playoffs. With a record of 25-23-4, they are close to securing a playoff spot.