Rangers' Miller: 'No doubt' return to Vancouver will be emotional

New York Rangers captain J.T. Miller is embracing the extra meaning of his first game back in Vancouver since the Canucks traded him last season.

"It's going to be emotional for me, no doubt," Miller told reporters ahead of Tuesday's clash at Rogers Arena, according to the New York Post's Mollie Walker. "Just trying to worry about our task at hand for the Rangers. I know that emotion is going to be there. Just going to try to use it to the best of my ability."

The Canucks traded Miller to the Rangers in January following a highly publicized rift with teammate Elias Pettersson. The Canucks reportedly shopped both players, but opted to keep the younger Pettersson. Vancouver landed forward Filip Chytil, blue-liner Victor Mancini, and a first-round pick (which it flipped to acquire defenseman Marcus Pettersson) in exchange for Miller.

Miller said he doesn't carry any regrets or grudges about the way his tenure ended in Vancouver.

"Everything happens. You can't go back and change anything," he said. "Obviously it's ugly sometimes at the end, but I think for the majority of the time I was here, it's been all positive, it's been a lot of good things. I'm not going to sit here and dwell over the way it ended. I didn't expect that to be pretty."

His time with the Canucks was highly successful before things turned sour. Miller tallied 437 points in 404 games across six seasons with the club, adding nine goals and 21 assists in 30 playoff appearances.

However, Miller admitted he's unsure what kind of reception he'll get from Canucks fans.

"I never said a bad thing about Vancouver when I left," Miller said. "I loved it here. It was like home away from home. The way they treated myself and my family is something we'll always cherish."