J.T. Miller dealt with a lot that had nothing to do with hockey during his final months with the Vancouver Canucks.
A reported feud between Miller and Elias Pettersson boiled over to the surface and became public, creating a media storm in Vancouver.
Miller ultimately took a leave of absence in November and when he returned the situation around the Canucks organization did not get much better.
The veteran forward was constantly asked about the tension between him and Pettersson while the Canucks began to plummet with all of the outside distractions.
Once Miller was traded to the New York Rangers though, everything changed for the 31-year-old.
In 15 games with the Rangers, Miller has recorded seven goals, nine assists and 16 points.
He’s looking like the superstar we saw last season in Vancouver and more importantly, Miller is happy in this new environment, something he addressed.
“It’s been nice to just be enjoying hockey again: showing up and enjoying work and being in a better place mentally,” Miller said via Peter Baugh of The Athletic.
Miller essentially confirmed all of the drama and noise around the Canucks was very much real regardless if it was overplayed by the media or not.
Now, Miller is fully embracing this fresh start as he’s emerged as the Rangers’ top center and has been put in all kinds of different roles including on both the power play and penalty kill.
It’s safe to say that Miller is in a much better place now in New York.
