Vancouver Canucks centre J.T. Miller takes indefinite leave for 'personal reasons'

Vancouver Canucks centre J.T. Miller is taking an indefinite leave from the team for "personal reasons." 

General manager Patrik Allvin announced the news in a statement Tuesday, saying the club's focus is making sure Miller knows "the entire organization is here to support him." 

Miller, 31, has six goals and 10 assists in 17 games for Vancouver this season, and is second on the team in points behind captain Quinn Hughes (18 points). 

"Obviously he's a massive part of our team and a superstar in the league. So any time you miss a guy like that, you're going to feel it," Hughes said.

"But at the same time, we have a lot of confidence in the guys we have here. Coming into the year we thought we had a contending team, and it's not just one guy, it's our whole group. And we're very confident who we have in here."

Miller posted a career-high 103 points (37 goals, 66 assists) last season.

The six-foot-one, 218-pound forward from East Palestine, Ohio, was selected 15th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2011 draft and has played for New York, Vancouver and the Tampa Bay Lightning over 13 NHL seasons. 

"Obviously, a very big hole to fill. But we wish him well in his personal matter, and we're here to support him, the whole organization," said Canucks centre Elias Pettersson.

Other key players sidelined

"The player will be hard to replace. But that means other guys gotta step up, have an opportunity to step up and get chances. So it takes a whole team effort tonight to move forward."

The Canucks are already without some key players, including goalie Thatcher Demko (knee), sniper Brock Boeser (upper body) and defenceman Derek Forbort (lower body).

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said Boeser and Forbort both skated on Tuesday, and that Demko has strung several good practices together.

The 9-5-3 team may be without Conor Garland when Vancouver hosts the New York Rangers on Tuesday, though, as the winger awaits the birth of his first child.

"We've dealt with a lot of stuff. Dakota [Joshua's] cancer, there's a lot of stuff that's been thrown at this team. But we've got a pretty good record, considering a lot of stuff," Tocchet said.

"And you look around the league, teams are going through it, and we're a resilient group, and there's going to be some guys that we're going to rely on, obviously, to get their game going. But also some good young players here, they get a chance to play. I think that's a it's a positive in that respect."

Islanders' Reilly having heart procedure

New York Islanders defenceman Mike Reilly will undergo a procedure to address a pre-existing heart condition that was found during routine tests after being concussed earlier this month.

General manager Lou Lamoriello said it was picked up through echocardiograms as part of Reilly's post-concussion evaluation.

"It's probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired," Lamoriello said Monday. "They detected this, something that you're sometimes born with but never knew."

Reilly, 31, was concussed during a game at Buffalo on Nov. 1. He has been cleared from the concussion but will be out indefinitely while recovering from the heart procedure.

There is no timeline, but Lamoriello expects Reilly to be able to continue his playing career and have full quality of life.

Reilly has been with the Islanders for roughly a year since they claimed him off waivers from Florida. The Chicago native in his 10th NHL season also previously played for Minnesota, Montreal, Ottawa and Boston.

Oilers claim forward Kapanen off waivers

The Edmonton Oilers claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.

The 28-year-old right-winger had one goal in 10 games with the Blues this season.

Kapanen made his NHL debut in the 2015-16 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He spent parts of five seasons with the team.

He also spent parts of three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins before joining the Blues midway through the 2022-23 campaign.

In 470 NHL regular-season games, Kapanen has 85 goals and 124 assists.

The Oilers, who took a 9-8-2 record into their game Tuesday night at Ottawa, have struggled at times with team offence. Edmonton entered play with just 50 goals scored over 19 games.