Rick Tocchet Lays Into J.T. Miller: His Time in Vancouver is Likely Over
J.T. Miller's time with the Vancouver Canucks could soon be over following the latest comments from his head coach Rick Tocchet.
Following a massive breakout year in 2023-24 that saw the Vancouver Canucks tallying 109 points and ending the season at the first rank of the Central Division, nobody could've predicted that they would perform like they are now.
They have only two wins over their last ten games and have fallen to the fifth rank of their division, officially out of a wild card playoff spot.
With Thatcher Demko injured once again, players had to rally together to face the adversity, but instead, a feud between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson is taking the spotlight, apparently causing a major distraction in the locker room.
Members of the team such as Quinn Hughes reportedly took Pettersson's in the feud, and a new comment from head coach Rick Tocchet suggests that Miller's time with the Canucks could end soon.
Indeed, last night, after yet another disappointing 5-1 loss against their division rivals Los Angeles Kings, Tocchet commented on Miller's struggles, saying that every time the veteran stepped on the ice, something bad happened, and criticizing his focus level.
In his own words:
I think he has some bad luck, but he also has some reads that he has to look at himself right now, focus on some of these reads. I mean, you can't dive in on a four-on-four, things like that. I think he is trying, but I think the focus level has to get a little higher."
After 34 games this season, Miller, 31, scored 29 points in 34 games and has a -6 rating.
It'll be interesting to see what the Canucks decide to do with him going forward, but it seems clearer that if they get an interesting offer for Miller, they could be willing to part ways with him.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Dylan Larkin | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| William Nylander | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alex Turcotte | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Travis Konecny | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nico Hischier | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Matias Maccelli | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Auston Matthews | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Artemi Panarin | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Brayden Schenn | 2 | - | 2 | |
| James Van Riemsdyk | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Evan Bouchard | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sean Couturier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Kevin Fiala | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Bo Horvat | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Kent Johnson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Patrick Kane | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marco Kasper | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Adrian Kempe | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 45 | 30 | 10 | 5 | 65 | |
Jets | 46 | 31 | 12 | 3 | 65 | |
Golden Knights | 44 | 29 | 12 | 3 | 61 | |
Oilers | 45 | 29 | 13 | 3 | 61 | |
Wild | 45 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 58 | |
Maple Leafs | 46 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 58 | |
Devils | 47 | 26 | 15 | 6 | 58 | |
Stars | 44 | 28 | 15 | 1 | 57 | |
Kings | 42 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 55 | |
Hurricanes | 45 | 26 | 16 | 3 | 55 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||