Team USA's decision to select J.T. Miller for 4 Nations is good news for Canucks

VANCOUVER – Despite their just-completed winning road trip, the Vancouver Canucks have not enjoyed playing without J.T. Miller since their emotional leader began his personal leave of absence 15 days ago.

But they’ll love being without him during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February because it means Miller would be well enough to be back playing, and playing well enough to represent Team USA at the National Hockey League’s international, best-on-best showcase.

Miller was named Wednesday to the United States’ roster for the event in Montreal and Boston, and Team USA general manager Bill Guerin and his staff will not have done that without reaching out to Miller or his representatives during the 31-year-old’s leave for self-help reasons.

On merit, Miller was always going to be on the U.S. team. He is coming off a 103-point season with the Canucks, and since the start of the 2021-22 season, his 300 points in 259 games have been eclipsed by just two Americans – Matthew Tkachuk and Auston Matthews.

Miller is a talented, ferocious competitor who plays in all situations, is comfortable at both centre and left wing, and is simply one of the best power forwards on the planet.

But he hasn’t played since Nov. 17, when he literally hurtled himself off the ice and on to the bench near the end of a game in which his 11:41 of playing time was Miller’s lowest since his 2019 trade to Vancouver from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Thirty-six hours later, the Ohioan’s leave of absence was announced by the Canucks.

Vancouver GM Patrik Allvin told Sportsnet last week in Boston: “First and foremost, I’m very proud of J.T. seeking help. I don’t know if he said it, but I believe he’s going to be a better person, better teammate and better hockey player when he returns. And we sure miss him. He’s such an impactful hockey player, and I think we have and the league has all the right support to help him.”

Miller getting selected by Team USA is good news for the Canucks. But it’s not surprising.

As far as the Canucks’ other 4 Nations candidates, nothing about Wednesday’s roster announcements was really surprising.

Centre Elias Pettersson was always a lock for Sweden even before he returned to world-class form the last couple of weeks after a perplexingly poor start to the NHL season. And after a breakthrough 24-goal campaign last year by Nils Hoglander, the Canuck winger eliminated whatever slim odds he had of making Team Sweden in a depth role by scoring just twice in the first 24 games while plummeting down Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet’s lineup.

Kevin Lankinen’s outstanding start in goal for the Canucks (12-3-3, .906 save percentage) was rewarded with an appointment to Team Finland. Ironically, Lankinen’s prize is the same position he was in the last two years, backing up Juuse Saros – which led him to leave the Nashville Predators this past summer.

And, of course, the Canucks’ Norris Trophy-winning defenceman, Quinn Hughes, was one of the first six players named to Team USA in June. He headlines a stacked American team in which Miller will be his only teammate from Vancouver.

Canuck goalie Thatcher Demko, who is from San Diego, was indisputably one of the top half-dozen puck-stoppers in the world until he tore the popliteus muscle in his knee in Vancouver’s playof -opener last April. And although close to returning, Demko hasn’t played since. Given the duration of what is believed to be an unprecedented injury for an NHL goalie, and the unknowable form and durability of Demko once he returns, it’s not surprising Team USA looked to others. Third goalie Jeremy Swayman has struggled so far this season after the melodrama of difficult contract negotiations with the Boston Bruins, but Guerin’s picks of Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger are unassailable.

The two Canucks excluded from the initial 4 Nations rosters who had the strongest cases to be chosen are American wingers Brock Boeser and Conor Garland.

Boeser finally broke through last season with a 40-goal campaign, but the Minnesotan missed seven games with a concussion in November and has just three assists in six games since his return. Boeser is an excellent playmaker and finisher and doesn’t get enough credit outside of Vancouver for the two-way game he has burnished under Tocchet.

But given Boeser’s strengths, landing a top-six role with power-play duties on Team USA was unrealistic. Consider that Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson, who has 116 goals over the last three seasons but just five so far this year, was also overlooked on Wednesday.

Garland, however, didn’t need a prime offensive posting to be successful and could be suited to a depth role on a star-studded team. It’s the bottom of Team USA’s lineup that will generate some debate after Guerin selected struggling New York Rangers Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck and underwhelming New York Islanders veteran Brock Nelson to fill out his roster at forward.

Garland’s breakthrough NHL season is still in progress. The energetic, puck-hounding winger from Scituate, Mass., has 22 points in 24 games and, so far, probably been Vancouver’s best forward. He’s also five-foot-nine, has not scored more than 20 goals or 52 points in a season, didn’t kill penalties for the Canucks until this year and isn’t yet getting the recognition he deserves around the NHL for the totality of his game.

Boeser is 27 years old, and Garland 28 – not young, but not old – and both may yet have an opportunity to play for their country.

But for now, it’s four Canucks for the 4 Nations.