How the 4 Nations Face-off can be a healing experience for J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson

MONTREAL – Is this real life?

It hasn’t set in for J.T. Miller yet. He doesn’t think it will until he’s through the 4 Nations Face-Off and probably not until the summer.

A month ago, he was in hockey purgatory, awaiting a long rumored trade from the Vancouver Canucks, questioned daily about his turbulent relationship with teammate Elias Pettersson. Miller’s reality now? Politely asking Vincent Trocheck and his wife Hillary if he can help with any chores. Cooking them a steak dinner to thank them for taking him into their home. Living with his best friend, who his now his New York Rangers teammate. Reuniting with former teammates like Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, with whom Miller first developed as a Ranger when he was a first-round pick with the franchise out of 2011.

But what feels the weirdest, Miller told Daily Faceoff Tuesday at 4 Nations Face-Off Media Day, is the pre-game routine at Madison Square Garden now that he’s suiting up for the Blueshirts after eight years away from the team. So much has changed – Miller and his wife Natalie now have three kids – but so much is simultaneously the same.

“I pinch myself a little, trying to remember the things I used to do, people you see walking around, the elevator guy, the broom guy, lounge,” Miller said. “It’s like, ‘Oh man, I can’t believe I’m here.’ I just feel super lucky that things worked out the way they did.”

Nothing felt certain a month ago. So much had gone wrong for Miller in Vancouver, just one season after he exploded for a career-best 103 points and led the Canucks to within a victory of the Western Conference Final. The wins didn’t come as easily this season. Miller’s effort on both sides of the ice varied wildly game to game, drawing the ire of coach Rick Tocchet, who claimed “something bad happens” every time Miller was on the ice. Miller took a one-month leave of absence from the Canucks from mid-November to mid-December. And the team brass, notably president of hockey ops Jim Rutherford, publicly made it clear Miller and fellow star center Pettersson couldn’t coexist as Canucks much longer. Miller’s fiery, abrasive leadership style clashed with Pettersson’s cool, quiet aura. If at least one of them didn’t go, the feud would drag Vancouver’s playoff hopes deep into the Pacific Ocean.

But everyone’s wish came true the Friday night of Jan. 31, when Miller was pulled from the Canucks’ game against the Dallas Stars. He’d already been talking to Trocheck about a potential trade to the Rangers for weeks, Trocheck explained on Tuesday. It happened when Vancouver sent Miller and his $8 million cap hit to the Rangers for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a 2025 first-round pick. And it’s no coincidence Miller waived his no-movement clause to make it happen. In returning to his original NHL city, he essentially skips the first step of a post-trade transition.

“It’s very special. You feel like you’re going to family, right?” He said. “[The Trochecks] have taken good care of me. You wake up every morning, and when you get traded to a new place you can have that little awkward stage, but I never really had that coming back to a familiar place. Tons of people I was excited to see outside of hockey as well.”

Miller, a physical center with playmaking ability, considerably deepens the Rangers, a team in win-now mode willing to eat six more years of a 31-year-old’s contract in the name of immediate contention. He’s posted four points in his first five games with the team, and the Rangers have caved in their competition at 5-on-5 with Miller on the ice, holding a 39-22 scoring chance advantage. From a pure hockey standpoint, he clearly fits, but Miller’s ability was never really in question. What matters is he also lands in an environment that should, in theory, accept who he is. Having Trocheck in his corner helps; Miller is familiar with some of the Rangers already, but Trocheck helped make the introductions to all the guys Miller didn’t know.

“There’s a lot of familiarity there,” Kreider told Daily Faceoff. “He’s starting to get a little bit more comfortable with the other guys on the team. But he’s such a good player and so personable, so it’s a pretty easy transition for him.”

And on a team that already traded captain Jacob Trouba earlier this season, Trocheck’s veteran influence carries a lot of weight, so it means something that he “gets” Miller’s unique hockey mind.

“He’s an emotional man,” Trocheck said. “Wears his heart on his sleeve, wants to win hockey games, and sometimes that shows. But I’d rather have a guy who shows that.”

If nothing else, the tournament allows a Miller mental break from the whirlwind January he had. His family will make the trip to Montreal from Vancouver, too, to reunite with him. Not that the 4 Nations allows for total decompression, of course. Miller will play for one of the top contending teams, and his Americans will inevitably clash with Pettersson’s Swedes. Awkward. The Rangers and Canucks haven’t played each other yet since the trade, so the matchup on Feb. 17 will represent Miller and Pettersson’s first meeting.

Miller knew better than to take the bait and acknowledge relishing that battle, however.

“It’s definitely something that you guys build up,” Miller said with a laugh. “I’m sure it’s more exciting for you guys, but it’s just another game for us.”

Can the same be said for Pettersson? He arrived at Media Day Tuesday to hold court as well, his tongue planted firmly in cheek when asked if the 4 Nations tourney would give him a break from the drama.

“Well, you’re asking me about it now, so…” he said, doing everything but wink.

Miller seemed euphoric as the one actually transplanted from the situation. Pettersson was the more stoic of the two, determined not to dwell on the feud and a disappointing season that has yielded just 11 goals and 34 points in 49 games on an $11.6 million AAV.

“It hasn’t been my best season, but that’s in the past,” Pettersson said. “I’m just trying to look forward and very excited for this. [The Canucks] had a good game against Toronto [before the break] and I was happy with my game then.”

Whereas the 4 Nations represents some potential emotional healing for Miller, it’s the hockey side that could benefit Pettersson most. There’s been talk of him experiencing the yips in Vancouver this season; he’s scoring on 12 percent of his shots, by far the lowest rate of his career. But playing on a dynamite line for Sweden, flanked by Filip Forsberg and Adrian Kempe, could jumpstart Pettersson’s confidence.

“You’re out there against him, you see all the small plays he makes, how skilled he is, and now being on a line with him for the last two practices, you can definitely feel that,” said Kempe, who faces Pettersson a lot playing for the Canucks’ divisional rival Los Angeles Kings. “He creates a lot of space for himself, he can score, he can pass, and for me I’ll have to try to work as hard as I can to get him and [Forsberg] the puck as much as I can. Elias is a great player, high, high end skill, one of the most skilled players I’ve ever – practised with, haven’t played a game with him yet.”

Pettersson has a rare set of hockey tools, blessed with playmaking ability, speed, an electric shot and two-way smarts. He’s smack in his prime at 26 years old. Quinn Hughes has carried Vancouver this season, but Pettersson has the talent to do the same for extended stretches when he’s hot. So maybe this tournament helps him build confidence for the stretch run.

“It seems to be the one question everyone asks,” Pettersson said. “No, I’m just excited. What’s in the past is in the past. I can’t change anything about it. So I’m just trying to look toward what I can control.”

The Rangers and Canucks sit in the thick of their respective Wildcard races and will desperately need Miller and Pettersson at their best for the home stretch of the season. Time will tell if the 4 Nations lights the spark for both.

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Daily Faceoff Live is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!

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How the 4 Nations Face-off can be a healing experience for J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson

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