A potential JT Miller return to the New York Rangers has become one of the most intriguing stories of this NHL season.
Miller, 31, inked a seven-year, $56 million contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks in 2022. But in just the second season of his contract, Miller has become a centerpiece of trade talks between the Canucks and a number of teams, including the Blueshirts, amid reports that he and Elias Pettersson do not get along.
The consensus is that either — or both — Pettersson or Miller is on his way out of Vancouver. If that player is Miller, the Rangers — the team who originally drafted him 15th overall in 2011 — appear to be the frontrunners to get him.
The Rangers have been linked to two failed trades with the Canucks this season, as both teams have struggled to keep their heads above the playoff line.
Canucks looking to move one of Miller, Pettersson
Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford dropped a bombshell on Tuesday in an interview with the Globe and Mail’s Gary Mason. Rutherford confirmed that the rift between Miller and Pettersson has had a cascading effect on the rest of the team.
“When you don’t have chemistry, it’s hard to be that consistent team because there’s too much going on in the room for everybody to concentrate on what they’re supposed to do,” Rutherford told Mason.
Miller is one of several Canucks who has experienced a dip in production this season. He is second on the team in scoring with nine goals and 34 points in 39 games — a far cry from his team-leading 37 goals and 103 points in 81 games played a season ago.
A trade at some point is inevitable, Rutherford re-iterated to Mason: “It certainly appears like there’s not a good solution that would keep this group together.”
Miller offered little in response on Wednesday ahead of Vancouver’s road game against the Nashville Predators.
“I don’t have one,” Miller said when a reporter asked if he had a reaction to Rutherford’s comments.
J.T. Miller’s comment on Jim Rutherford’s remarks about the rift between him and Elias Pettersson
“I don’t have one” pic.twitter.com/fiVGKwnWOx
— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) January 29, 2025
Why the Rangers are frontrunners for Miller, and the failed deals so far
The Carolina Hurricanes had been in on both Pettersson and Miller but, on Friday, struck a deal with the Colorado Avalanche for Mikko Rantanen. The Dallas Stars are not in the mix, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.
Complicating matters is Miller’s full no-movement clause, which he’d have to agree to waive in order for a trade to be completed. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos said in a Jan. 2 episode of Real Kyper & Bourne that Miller would only consider waiving his no-movement clause (NMC) to go to the Rangers.
Vancouver and New York have been close on a Miller deal. The Canucks considered holding Miller out of their Jan. 18 game against the Edmonton Oilers amid reports that the Rangers were close to completing the swap, but the trade fell through.
The Athletic reported that Filip Chytil, Ryan Lindgren, and prospects could have been included in the package being sent back to Vancouver.
“I think they’re going to keep looking at it,” said Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Monday’s Real Kyper & Bourne episode. “The Ranger thing, I don’t know where that stands right now. I’ve had some people say to me that one was a bit more complicated than has been reported publicly, even by myself, on why that one got turned down.”
Earlier this season, the Rangers reportedly offered Mika Zibanejad to the Canucks in exchange for Miller. The offer was rejected. The Canucks continue to talk to other teams about Miller, Friedman added.
What Miller would bring to the Rangers
Miller is a polarizing player. He’s been widely described as a player who amplifies a team’s success or failures. In Vancouver, he was lauded as a postseason hero last spring for his role in the Canucks’ playoff run — in which he put up 12 points in 13 games. This year, he’s been heavily criticized for his poor defensive efforts in certain games.
Please watch J.T. Miller on this play.#Canucks
— Noah Strang (@noahstrang_) January 17, 2025
Miller’s intensity and ability to perform in big games make him a valuable player in the playoffs. Any team looking to contend for the Stanley Cup this spring is surely salivating at the chance to acquire him, possibly at a discount.
But taking a big swing on Miller comes with both short- and long-term risk. Miller will turn 32 in March and still has five years left on his contract, which carries a cap hit of $8 million. Adding in the rift between him and Pettersson and Miller’s mysterious four-week personal leave in the fall, teams have to consider the impact on their locker room of bringing in a player of Miller’s pedigree.
“Don’t think teams aren’t doing their homework here,” Dreger added. “Making sure they understand what’s gone on in Vancouver. Why hasn’t this worked for J.T.? How much of this is he responsible for in terms of everything that we’ve talked about and whatnot? So it may not be that simple.”
