The Vancouver Canucks have been the talk of the National Hockey League this season. There has been injury news, leaves of absence, and locker room sagas, which have now led to trade rumours. Canucks forward JT Miller seems to be the most likely to be moved, with the New York Rangers being the team most interested.
According to The New York Post’s Larry Brooks , the Canucks may be targeting Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere:
“It is believed that Alexis Lafreniere’s name has been prominent in the discussion.”
There have been multiple reports of the Rangers having interest in acquiring Miller. On Saturday night, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Miller was close to being held out of last night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers due to a trade with the Rangers. However, the trade fell through, and Miller played in the game.
Here’s what Friedman had to say about the fallen through trade:
“JT Miller, I expect who’s going to play tonight unless something changes at the last minute. But there was a time over the last 24 hours where JT Miller was not going to play. He was going to be held out of the lineup because talks were progressing on a trade. I believe that team to be the New York Rangers. “Now, I don’t know exactly what happened, but that trade is off right now. So, there’s nothing close that would prevent Miller from playing, but things have progressed to a certain point where it definitely looked like he wasn’t going to play.”The Rangers drafted Lafrenière first overall in the 2020 draft, playing 343 games, scoring 86 goals and 87 assists for 173 points through his five seasons in New York. His 2023-24 career year – where he scored 28 goals and 29 assists for 57 points – earned him a seven-year, $52.15 million contract that pays him $7.45 million annually, which kicks in next season. The 23-year-old winger has ties to the Canucks organization, as, before her time in Vancouver, assistant general manager Emilie Castonguay was a player agent for Lafrenière. Brooks mentioned the Rangers AHL affiliate, Hartford Wolf Pack, held three players out of last night’s game that could potentially have been a part of a trade with the Canucks. Forwards Bo Groulx, Adam Syroka, and Jaroslav Chmelar were the players listed.
Groulx, 24, was a former second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2018. He has one goal and five points in 65 games through his NHL career. Sykora, 20, is a former second-round pick of the Rangers in 2022. He has scored 16 goals and 43 points in 101 games with the Wolf Pack through three seasons. Chmelar, 21, is a former fifth-round pick of the Rangers in 2021. He has scored six goals and 17 points in 44 games in his two seasons with the Wolf Pack.
With both the Canucks and Rangers having an interest in assets on the opposite team, there is a realistic marriage between the two for a trade involving both JT Miller and Alexis Lafrenière.
