<p>On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal dove into the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/instant-reaction-vancouver-canucks-3-unanswered-lose-5-3-predators">Vancouver Canucks’ 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators</a> and discussed the surprising decision to bench J.T. Miller during the third period.</p>
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<p>“He hasn’t looked like himself for a while now, especially since losing <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-nobody-misses-brock-boeser-more-jt-miller">Brock Boeser</a>,” said Harm. “The play that really drove home the decision to bench him was the second Steven Stamkos goal. While Miller wasn’t the primary player responsible for that breakdown—that was mostly on Carson Soucy and Elias Pettersson — the lead-up was rough for Miller. He was directing traffic, telling others where to go and who to pick up, but he barely moved his own feet. It’s the optics—playing traffic cop but not taking care of your own responsibilities.</p>
<p>“That play in isolation wasn’t the only reason he ended up on the bench, but it came in the context of his line struggling to produce offence and him being quiet for a while. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”</p>
<p>Quads agreed, adding, “It’s a big message for the head coach to send — not just to J.T. Miller, but to the entire team. It’s not just [Nils] Höglander or [Daniel] Sprong who will be held accountable. Even the guy who’s arguably been their best player is not above being benched. The message is clear: this applies to everyone, and it’s a good precedent for a head coach to set.”</p>
<p>Despite the result, the Canucks played well at even strength.</p>
<p>“At five-on-five, they were limiting rush chances against, didn’t allow Nashville many shots in the third, and had good momentum until the Predators’ first power-play goal,” Quads noted. “They lost this game on the penalty kill, which feels like a throwback. This team hasn’t lost many games due to special teams lately.”</p>
<p>Harm highlighted their dominance at five-on-five: “The high-danger chances were 14-4 in favour of the Canucks. They came out a bit flat, and Nashville took an early lead, but from that point on, the Canucks convincingly controlled even strength.</p>
<p>“The penalty kill wasn’t good, but it hasn’t been an issue this season, so I’m not too worried. I also don’t think goaltending was the problem — none of the goals were Kevin Lankinen’s fault. But he allowed four goals on just 20 shots, which is a reminder of how small the margins are without Thatcher Demko. This was a game where better goaltending might have made a difference.”</p>
<p>The Canucks’ defensive struggles continued, particularly with the pairing of Carson Soucy and Tyler Myers.</p>
<p>“Soucy and Myers somehow keep getting worse,” Quads observed. “You’re waiting for a breakthrough game, but Tocchet keeps saying they just need to chip away. I don’t think that’s true. Until one of them gets a new partner and the top-four configuration changes, I don’t see it improving. At some point, you have to believe them when they show you who they are.</p>
<p>“I’d get D-Petey in against the Senators on Saturday. Pair him with Soucy on the third pair, with Pettersson on the left and Soucy on the right against softer matchups. Hughes and Hronek would handle the toughest assignments, and you might even trust a [Erik] Brännström-Myers pairing more than Soucy-Myers at this point. It can’t be worse than what we’ve seen.”</p>
<p>Harm offered a nuanced take: “You can’t ignore that Soucy and Myers are playing second-pair minutes with tougher matchups compared to how heavily sheltered Brännström has been. He’s playing some of the easiest deployment in the NHL on the third pair — it’s a completely different job.</p>
<p>“I want to see Brännström and Myers together too, but I have concerns. As well as Brännström has played, I’m not sure he’s ready for a top-four defensive role. It’s worth a shot because the current setup isn’t working, but it’s not guaranteed to fix things immediately.</p>
<p>“The Canucks are hoping for two things: first, that Soucy and Myers start playing better, either together or with new partners—they were significantly better last year, so there’s potential. Second, and more pressing, they’ll likely need an external addition to the blueline if they’re serious about making a playoff run.”</p>
<p>You can watch the full segment below:</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Tocchet Benches J.T. Miller | Canucks Conversation Live" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GcltfWbK9CE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal dove into the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/instant-reaction-vancouver-canucks-3-unanswered-lose-5-3-predators">Vancouver Canucks’ 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators</a> and discussed the surprising decision to bench J.T. Miller during the third period.
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&nbsp;

“He hasn’t looked like himself for a while now, especially since losing <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-nobody-misses-brock-boeser-more-jt-miller">Brock Boeser</a>,” said Harm. “The play that really drove home the decision to bench him was the second Steven Stamkos goal. While Miller wasn’t the primary player responsible for that breakdown—that was mostly on Carson Soucy and Elias Pettersson — the lead-up was rough for Miller. He was directing traffic, telling others where to go and who to pick up, but he barely moved his own feet. It’s the optics—playing traffic cop but not taking care of your own responsibilities.

“That play in isolation wasn’t the only reason he ended up on the bench, but it came in the context of his line struggling to produce offence and him being quiet for a while. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Quads agreed, adding, “It’s a big message for the head coach to send — not just to J.T. Miller, but to the entire team. It’s not just [Nils] Höglander or [Daniel] Sprong who will be held accountable. Even the guy who’s arguably been their best player is not above being benched. The message is clear: this applies to everyone, and it’s a good precedent for a head coach to set.”

Despite the result, the Canucks played well at even strength.

“At five-on-five, they were limiting rush chances against, didn’t allow Nashville many shots in the third, and had good momentum until the Predators’ first power-play goal,” Quads noted. “They lost this game on the penalty kill, which feels like a throwback. This team hasn’t lost many games due to special teams lately.”

Harm highlighted their dominance at five-on-five: “The high-danger chances were 14-4 in favour of the Canucks. They came out a bit flat, and Nashville took an early lead, but from that point on, the Canucks convincingly controlled even strength.

“The penalty kill wasn’t good, but it hasn’t been an issue this season, so I’m not too worried. I also don’t think goaltending was the problem — none of the goals were Kevin Lankinen’s fault. But he allowed four goals on just 20 shots, which is a reminder of how small the margins are without Thatcher Demko. This was a game where better goaltending might have made a difference.”

The Canucks’ defensive struggles continued, particularly with the pairing of Carson Soucy and Tyler Myers.

“Soucy and Myers somehow keep getting worse,” Quads observed. “You’re waiting for a breakthrough game, but Tocchet keeps saying they just need to chip away. I don’t think that’s true. Until one of them gets a new partner and the top-four configuration changes, I don’t see it improving. At some point, you have to believe them when they show you who they are.

“I’d get D-Petey in against the Senators on Saturday. Pair him with Soucy on the third pair, with Pettersson on the left and Soucy on the right against softer matchups. Hughes and Hronek would handle the toughest assignments, and you might even trust a [Erik] Brännström-Myers pairing more than Soucy-Myers at this point. It can’t be worse than what we’ve seen.”

Harm offered a nuanced take: “You can’t ignore that Soucy and Myers are playing second-pair minutes with tougher matchups compared to how heavily sheltered Brännström has been. He’s playing some of the easiest deployment in the NHL on the third pair — it’s a completely different job.

“I want to see Brännström and Myers together too, but I have concerns. As well as Brännström has played, I’m not sure he’s ready for a top-four defensive role. It’s worth a shot because the current setup isn’t working, but it’s not guaranteed to fix things immediately.

“The Canucks are hoping for two things: first, that Soucy and Myers start playing better, either together or with new partners—they were significantly better last year, so there’s potential. Second, and more pressing, they’ll likely need an external addition to the blueline if they’re serious about making a playoff run.”

You can watch the full segment below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcltfWbK9CE

<strong>Sponsored by bet365!</strong>
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Breaking down Miller’s benching and another home-ice loss: Canucks Conversation

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