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Vancouver Canucks center JT Miller is taking an indefinite leave of absence for personal reasons, the team announced Tuesday.
Miller has played in all 17 games for the Canucks so far, but will be away from the club until further notice. Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement that their goal was to help Miller.
“Right now our only goal is to make sure JT knows the entire organization is here to support him,” Allvin said. “Out of respect for JT, we will have no further comment at this time.”
Miller, 31, has six goals and 10 assists for 16 points so far this season. He is coming off a career-high 103 points in 2023-24 when the Canucks reached the second round of the playoffs.
In Sunday’s game against the Nashville Predators, Miller played 11:41 of ice time, which is down from his average of 18:24 this season. He did not play during the last 14 hours of this match.
In the absence of Miller, it is likely Elias Pettersson will play the role of center No. 1. Pettersson has four goals and six points in his last five games, and the 21:35 of ice time he played against the Predators was his best time of the season since the 23:34 he played in the first game of the season against the Calgary Flames.
The Canucks further announced that they have recalled left winger Arshdeep Bains from AHL Abbotsford. Bains, 23, has one goal in eight NHL games this season and four points in four AHL games.
In 816 career NHL games between the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Canucks, Miller has 244 goals, 411 assists and 655 points. He also has 91 career playoff games, with 12 goals and 44 assists for 56 points.
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