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Debut of Heinen-Miller-Boeser as Miller Plays First Preseason Game

The Canucks have played nearly every seemingly healthy veteran this preseason – except for J.T. Miller. The team had not come out and said that he was injured, but Miller provided a bit of clarity on that front in his media availability on Tuesday (Oct. 1) saying, “The number of games I want to play isn’t the issue here. Unfortunately, it’s tough for the other guys, but I had to take care of myself and not push it so I’d be ready for Friday’s game. I was concerned that if I played earlier, I might have aggravated something and made it worse, which we didn’t need. I’ll be ready to go on Friday.”

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It’s understandable why Miller didn’t want to play, considering the number of serious injuries that have been seen in the NHL lately. From Drew Doughty in LA to Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher in Montreal, there’s been no shortage of long-term injuries to key players. The Canucks need Miller to be the 103-point player he was last season – and maybe even more – in 2024-25. That means he needs to stay healthy and near 100 percent all season long. If that means missing almost the entire preseason of meaningless games, so be it.

Miller is motivated to be a better overall player this season, too, saying “I don’t want my ceiling to be based on points. I may play an even better 200-foot game this year and have 20 less points. That’s not a failure to me. I want to be a really good 200-foot player in the league, and that doesn’t change.”

Miller will have his long-time running mate, Brock Boeser, alongside him again this season, but they will be joined by a newcomer in Danton Heinen. They have been together since the beginning of training camp but will play for the first time in the preseason tonight. Judging by what we have seen in practice and scrimmages, they could be a good trio with Heinen providing speed and tenacity on the forecheck to free up space for Miller and Boeser to work their magic.

Speaking of new line combinations making their debut, Daniel Sprong will get a chance to play with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk tonight. He has not spent any time with them in the preseason so far, having been deployed with AHLers and players who will likely start in the bottom six. But with Jonathan Lekkerimaki back in Abbotsford, head coach Rick Tocchet promoted him to the top-six after he was impressed with his willingness to improve his overall game throughout the exhibition schedule.

“He’s always asking questions. I think there’s a lot of potential there. If him, Petey and Jake can stay together, it could be a damn good line for us but they’ve got to make sure that they play inside and they come up with pucks too.”

Sprong has the skillset and hockey IQ to play with two established top-six players in Pettersson and DeBrusk. It’s now up to him to not only produce, but play a solid two-way game alongside them. He can’t just be focused on scoring all the time, but supporting his linemates in all three zones. If he can do that, he could be a 20 or even 30-goal scorer due to his lethal shot and overall speed.

Silovs Gets Final Dress Rehearsal to Solidify Start for Opening Night

Arturs Silovs and Kevin Lankinen have both started two games in the preseason so far and while their stats don’t scream starting goaltender, one of them will get the privilege of being in the crease for opening night with Thatcher Demko still on the shelf. It remains to be seen who that will be at this point, but Silovs will get the final chance to prove to the coaching staff that it should be him. His last game was against the Flames on Sept. 28 when he allowed four goals on 24 shots – many from long-range through screens – and finished the game on the bench in what ended as a 4-2 loss.

If Silovs has his sights on usurping Lankinen when Demko returns, he will have to improve his puck tracking through traffic. He struggled with this even in the playoffs against the Oilers, and it should be a focus of new goaltending coach Marko Torenius this season if he ever wants his pupil to become a consistent starter in the NHL. We will see how he does against the team that he saw a lot of when he started all seven games in their second round series in May.

Gameday Burning Question: Will Raty Beat Blueger For the 3rd-Line Centre Spot?

The burning question going into this game is whether Aatu Raty can prove to Tocchet that it should be him that centers Nils Hoglander and Conor Garland on opening night rather than the now-healthy Teddy Blueger. Blueger has not been seen in a preseason game yet as he has been recovering from minor surgery to repair a lower-body issue. Tocchet has flip-flopped between Blueger and Raty over the last two practices, and settled with Raty again in the morning skate today.

Raty has been impressive during the preseason centering the two buzzsaws, and has given the coaching staff some pause as to who should be the third-line centre to start the season. Blueger has experience playing with Garland, but Raty has also developed some good chemistry with him, looking eerily like Dakota Joshua when he scored his only goal of the exhibition so far, potting a shot behind Flames goalie Dan Vladar after a no-look pass from Garland. We will see if that trio can wow us again and remain together for the season opener next week.

What’s Next for the Canucks?

The Canucks will have a few days off before their home opener against the Flames on Oct. 9 when eight other teams will be in action to start the season. As for tonight, fans can see the action on Sportsnet and listen on Sportsnet 650 starting at 7 pm Pacific. Will they roll into the season with a victory or their fourth-straight loss? Stay tuned.