The Vancouver Canucks will begin their road trip on Saturday night in Ottawa with a big hole to fill in the top-six with J.T. Miller away from the team for personal reasons, which was announced earlier in the week.
Everyone is hoping that J.T. Miller is doing alright and taking all the time he needs before returning to the team, which might not be too far away according to one insider.
In his most recent 32 Thoughts article this week, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman shared that J.T. Miller likely won't be returning to the Vancouver Canucks until they return home from their road trip in early December, at the earliest.
If this happens to be the case, Miller's next game with the Canucks could come on Friday, December 6th as Vancouver hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets, however it's not a guarantee that'll happen as everyone wants the forward to take his time.
Friedman added that burnout has played a big factor in Miller's decision to take a leave of absence.
During an appearance on Halford & Brough on Friday morning, Friedman mentioned that the club is hopeful for J.T. Miller's return after the road trip, which concludes on December 3rd in Minnesota.
Miller, 31, has appeared in 17 games this season with the Canucks where he's registered 16 points (six goals, ten assists), nine penalty minutes and is a plus-one.
While Miller's absence will be felt throughout the entire road trip, the most important thing right now is that he's taking a break and a step back to breathe a bit and enjoy some time with his family.
Everyone here at Canucks Daily hopes J.T. Miller is doing well at this time and hope to see him return to game action as soon as he feels comfortable returning to the team.
POLL | ||
Will J.T. Miller return to the Vancouver Canucks after the road trip? | ||
Yes | 436 | 47.5 % |
Unsure, hopefully he's back when he's comfortable | 481 | 52.5 % |
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