On Saturday, Vancouver Canucks hockey analyst Rick Dhaliwal reported there’s increased trade activity surrounding forward J.T. Miller. Dhaliwal writes, “J.T. Miller has not been asked to waive his no-trade clause yet, but there seems to be a lot of activity around Miller on Saturday. Some think the Canucks are working hard on this.” It would seem that the Canucks leadership is leaning towards moving Miller, and two teams seem to be interested. One is the New Jersey Devils, and the other is the New York Rangers.
Who knows whether there’s any correlation or not? However, the Rangers AHL affiliate Hartford Wolfpack reportedly scratched some of their best players before Saturday's game against the Charlotte Checkers.
Miller is having a tough season, does he need to be traded?
Miller, who had a great 2023-24 season, isn’t having the same kind of season this year. He missed a series of games for “personal reasons,” but his play diminished when he returned. He started well but then seemed to tank. There’s no chance he’ll come close to the 103 points he put up last season.
Perhaps even worse is that he looks lost or disengaged on the ice. His body language raised concerns during a recent loss to the Los Angeles Kings. As a result of his falling level of play, the reported rift with teammate Elias Pettersson, and the trade rumors, there seem to be several good reasons to consider moving him.
But will Miller agree? Why wouldn’t he if he’s as unsettled (or unhappy) as he seems? And, if the Canucks do decide to pull the trigger on a trade, it might behoove them to act quickly. If the decision has been made, why wait? That’s especially true if his attitude on and off the ice could become detrimental to other younger players who look to him for leadership.
Miller’s future seems firmly up in the air
As a result of all this noisy drama, Canucks fans who are also fans of Miller should expect that his future with Vancouver is at best uncertain. At worst, he’s soon to be gone. The word is that Vancouver is busy trying to move him but hasn’t asked him to waive his no-move clause yet. Could they try to finalize a deal before they do “go formal” with the ask?
Something seems up, according to Dhaliwal. However, at this point, it’s unclear precisely what that something might be.
