Vancouver Canucks center JT Miller takes indefinite leave of absence for ‘personal reasons’

Vancouver Canucks center JT Miller is leaving the team indefinitely due to “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.”

31-year-old Miller scored 6 goals and 10 assists in 17 games for Vancouver this season and ranks second on the team in terms of points, behind captain Quinn Hughes (18 points).

The 6-foot-1, 218-pound forward from East Palestine, Ohio, was selected 15th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2011 draft and played for New York, Vancouver and the Tampa Bay Lightning over 13 NHL seasons.

The Canucks are currently without key players like goaltender Thatcher Demko (knee), sharpshooter Brock Boeser (upper body) and defenseman Derek Forbort (lower body).

Vancouver (9-5-3) will host the Rangers on Tuesday night.

Islanders’ Reilly undergoes heart surgery

New York Islanders defenseman Mike Reilly will undergo a procedure to remove a pre-existing heart condition detected during routine testing after suffering a concussion earlier this month.

General manager Lou Lamoriello said it was detected through echocardiograms as part of Reilly’s post-concussion evaluation.

“It’s probably a blessing in disguise of what’s going on,” Lamoriello said Monday. “They identified this, something that sometimes is innate but you never know.”

Reilly, 31, suffered a concussion during a game in Buffalo on Nov. 1. He has been cleared of concussion but will be sidelined indefinitely while recovering from heart surgery.

There’s no timeline, but Lamoriello expects Reilly to be able to continue his acting career and have a full quality of life.

Reilly had been with the Islanders for nearly a year since claiming waivers from Florida. The Chicago native, in his 10th NHL season, also previously played for Minnesota, Montreal, Ottawa and Boston.

Oil companies requested waiver from Kapanen

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

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

Kapanen made his NHL debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2015-16 season. 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 season.

Kapanen had 85 goals and 124 assists in 470 NHL regular season games.

The Oilers, who had a 9-8-2 record heading into their game in Ottawa on Tuesday night, struggled at times with their team’s offense. Edmonton entered the game with just 50 goals scored in 19 games.