Vancouver Canucks address a need at wing, trade for J.T. Miller

On Saturday, the Vancouver Canucks acquired Tampa Bay Lightning forward J.T. Miller. With the trade, GM Jim Benning fills a need in the top six.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning has finally found his much-needed scoring winger, acquiring J.T. Miller from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday in exchange for their 2019 third round pick, a conditional 2020 first and goalie Marek Mazanec.

Per Lightning reporter Caley Chelios, the first rounder will be deferred to 2021 if the Canucks miss the playoffs in 2020. So the move comes with plenty of risk, but it’s hard to complain about the player that’s coming to Vancouver.

The 26-year-old Miller carries a $5.25 million cap hit for each of the next four years, per CapFriendly. But the Canucks have more than enough cap space to work with, and Benning put it to good use.

Adding Miller is a great move for Benning here. The Canucks desperately had to find more wingers to complement the forward core of Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat. They found a future franchise centrepiece in Vasily Podkolzin with the No. 10 pick.

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Now, Miller comes to Vancouver — where he can play anywhere in the top six. He might move onto the top line with Pettersson and Boeser, or he could fill in as the 20-goal winger that Horvat desperately needs.

Miller scored at least 22 goals in three straight years from 2015-16 to 2017-18, including two 50-point seasons.

Last year, Miller recorded career bests in goals (23) and points (58). He has only missed seven total games over the last four years, so Miller’s durability is a nice bonus.

He was at his best with the New York Rangers, but when Miller came over to Tampa Bay in the Ryan McDonagh blockbuster trade, he had to play a reduced role. Obviously, he’ll be given more opportunities in Vancouver, having moved on from a star-studded Tampa Bay team.

Miller brings good size (6-foot-1, 218 pounds) and good career puck possession numbers (a career 53.8 Corsi For percentage). He does all the little things right and brings everything you need in a top six winger. Lack of secondary scoring has been a major problem for the Canucks for the better part of the last five years. But Miller promises to shine in his new role, playing alongside one of Vancouver’s two star centres.

In adding Miller, Benning can now avoid the temptation to overpay for a winger in free agency. That said, he still needs another top four blueliner — so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he wound up overpaying for Tyler Myers or Jake Gardiner.

That’s for another day, however. The Canucks knew they had to add a capable 20-goal and 50-point winger to complement their “big three” of Pettersson, Horvat and Boeser up front. The cost for Miller was somewhat pricey, but he addresses a serious need This was a great move for the Canucks, and Miller will be key in helping them push for a playoff spot next year.