At the club’s morning skate on Friday, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet repeated himself as it related to the ongoing developments with Vancouver forward J.T. Miller.
Tocchet pointed out Thursday after practice that Miller was skating once again and that “there is a plan” in place for the player’s return.
Miller took a leave of absence for personal reasons after playing part of the game at home on November 17th against the Nashville Predators. He left the match after 11:41 of ice time.
In his 16 previous matches, he averaged a point-a-game, with six goals and ten assists overall.
The East Palestine, Ohio native is in his sixth season with the Canucks, a run that saw him eclipse the 100-point mark (103) last season for the first time in his career. He posted 99 points in 2021-’22.
Miller is in the 2nd year of a seven-year contract that pays him $8-million per season.
The reason or reasons behind his leave of absence remain a mystery, but it’ll likely be just a short duration of time before we hear some or all of the details.
“I’m not going to tell you the plan, but there’s a plan,” Tocchet reiterated on Friday. He doesn’t expect Miller to practice with the team on Saturday.
“In the near future,” he added.
