from Patrick Johnston of the Vancouver Province.

The idea that you left money on the table seems a little wild when you just signed a contract extension worth US$56 million.

But J.T. Miller is a professional athlete and you have to constantly consider what you think you’re worth, both instinctually and in relative terms.

The Vancouver Canucks forward might have been able to draw larger contract offers had he waited for free agency next summer, but in signing a seven-year deal with the NHL team last week he seems to have chosen a path that is focused on staying with what he knows versus chasing an even-bigger payday somewhere else.

“The trumping factor is that I want to be in Vancouver and I love this group of guys. And I want to win in Vancouver and I still believe that we have the team that could do it,” he said Tuesday morning, speaking with reporters over Zoom from his off-season home in Pittsburgh.

Head coach Bruce Boudreau calling him a No. 1 centre no doubt helps.

“It means a lot that he’s saying that. I think Bruce and I have a good relationship so far. He’s definitely challenging me on a nightly basis,” Miller said.

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