The Vancouver Canucks reportedly almost had a JT Miller trade in place with the New York Rangers earlier this week, and the Carolina Hurricanes have now also entered the chat, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
“I believe Miller's preference is Eastern U.S. Canucks are continuing to work at trading Miller, Carolina and Rangers still in it, less convinced about Dallas and New Jersey, I wonder about the Islanders,” the hockey insider said in an interview with CHEK's Rick Dhaliwal.
The Hurricanes have struggled at times offensively this season, and still projecting as a Stanley Cup contender, adding Miller to the offensive group would certainly make sense from Carolina's perspective.
A Miller trade to the Rangers was reportedly so close on Saturday that the squad considered not dressing the veteran forward against the Edmonton Oilers on Hockey Night in Canada. He ended up seeing over 20 minutes of ice time and registering two assists in a key 3-2 victory at home.
The Rangers-Canucks potential blockbuster fell apart, which, according to Friedman, would have involved forward Filip Chytil and defenseman Ryan Lindgren heading West. Miller addressed all of the noise after Saturday's win, and made it clear he wants to remain in British Columbia.
JT Miller wants to stay with Canucks
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“I'm not getting into this,” Miller told reporters on Saturday. “I'm planning on being a Canuck today, tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens. I'm focused on the next game. I don't know if there's anything. It's just [trying] to focus on the game.”
Although the Canucks are reportedly open to trading both Miller and Elias Pettersson, the franchise is leaning more toward dealing the former. Pettersson is five years younger, and was one of the organization's best draft picks in recent memory.
Miller's agent Brian Bartlett also spoke out, saying that his client has not requested or demanded a trade at any point. Canucks fans have to be wondering if there's a world where both Miller and Pettersson remain on Vancouver's roster, and it seems like the more the team wins, the better chance of that there will be.
But now 20-15-10 — and with just three wins in their last 10 games — the Canucks have completely fallen out of the wildcard picture in the Western Conference. It's certainly a tricky position for the front office to be in, especially after the incredible season the team had in 2023-24, winning the Pacific Division and coming within one victory of a first trip to the Western Conference Final since 2011.
“Subtracting a player with the stature and ability of a Miller, or a Pettersson, from this roster will represent something of a new era for Rutherford, Allvin and the Canucks,” wrote The Athletic on Monday. “It would put the club into a transitional team-building phase, something Canucks leadership understands keenly as they work through their options on the trade market.”
It'll be interesting to see how the next couple of weeks go for this squad — and whether it will spell the end of JT Miller's tenure as a Canuck.
