The Vancouver Canucks have been without star forward J.T. Miller since Nov. 19, when the 31-year-old stepped away from the Canucks to take an indefinite personal leave of absence. Miller was named to Team USA's 4 Nations Face-Off roster on Wednesday afternoon, and that bodes well for his status for the tournament, which kicks off on Feb. 12.
But the Canucks are not going to be without Miller for another two months, are they? That is the burning question at hand, but more and more answers are starting to come to the surface as Miller's situation seemingly approaches a conclusion.
"We will know when J.T.'s going to play when he shows up to practice," Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal revealed on "Donnie and Dhali" on Thursday morning. "What I can tell you, Don, is that J.T. Miller is skating this week on his own. J.T. Miller was on the ice (on Wednesday). J.T. Miller is back in that mood of working out and skating."
"J.T. Miller is skating this week.."@DhaliwalSports shared what he is hearing about J.T. Miller and a possible return.https://t.co/h4e2SKM7eJ pic.twitter.com/Ngp9BxSTL2
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) December 5, 2024
J.T. Miller status for Canucks vs. Blue Jackets
Notably, Miller did not practice with the main group of Canucks during Thursday morning's practice session. Combining this with Dhaliwal's information from above, it does not appear that Miller will be an option for the Canucks game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.
Further to that point, it also seems like Miller's return is in the near future, but not imminent. When players return to the ice, whether it be from injury or any other form of time away, it is usually preferred that the player returning logs at least a practice or two before jumping back into action.
Look no further than fellow Canucks forward Dakota Joshua, as an example. It took him several weeks to ramp up his physical activity and build back his game conditioning. For perhaps a more accurate example, it took Brock Boeser two practice sessions to return to the lineup after suffering a concussion.
No two players are ever the same, and when Miller returns is ultimately up to him. It is good news for the Canucks, though, that a return seems to be coming sooner rather than later.