On Tuesday, the Vancouver Canucks made a shocking announcement about star forward J.T. Miller, who will take an indefinite leave for personal reasons. But now, an insider claims there’s more to the decision than the Canucks have disclosed.
J.T. Miller is a key player if the Canucks want to make a push this season, but so far, he hasn’t looked like himself. Miller has six goals and 16 points in 17 games to start the season, but he has struggled at times, and fans have speculated that he might have been playing through an injury.
On Sunday, he was also benched for most of the third period in the Canucks’ 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators, fueling even more speculation among Canucks fans.
Miller’s leave of absence
On Tuesday, the Canucks announced that Miller would take an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons, and the team gave no further comments on the matter. Fans worried that something serious had happened to J.T. Miller or his family, especially given rumors that his wife had reportedly deleted all her social media accounts just before the announcement.
However, not long after the Canucks’ statement, insider Rick Dhaliwal reported that Miller simply needs “time and space” to reset.
“Whenever there’s a personal leave, everybody jumps to conclusions. Alcohol, family-related… I get it,” Dhaliwal said. “Everybody wants the juicy National Enquirer story. Everybody wants the sinister thing. There is nothing sinister going on here. This is a player that needs a reset. Some time and space.”
Insiders report on J.T. Miller
However, The Province’s Ben Kuzma has provided new insight into what’s really going on with Miller. Late Tuesday, Kuzma reported that J.T. Miller’s absence is likely due to an upper-body injury that has been holding him back throughout the season.
“Postmedia has learned that the absence is likely to do with a suspected shoulder injury that has hampered Miller from performing at his customary peak level,” he wrote.
If true, it’s unclear why the Canucks haven’t placed Miller on injured reserve. Fans speculated that Miller himself must decide whether to undergo surgery or play through the pain until the off-season. This is likely not the last we’ll hear about Miller and his absence from the Canucks.
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