Five possible trade scenarios for Canucks forward J.T. Miller
Trade Scenario #1:
New York Rangers
The former New York Ranger draft pick, Miller, spent six seasons with the Rangers before being shipped off to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a trade-deadline blockbuster. The Blueshirts currently sit atop the Metropolitan division and could be looking at Miller as a piece that directly puts them into Stanley Cup contention.
With the Rangers’ deep prospect and young talent pool, a futures-based trade would make a tonne of sense. One name that the Canucks would target is top RHD prospect, Braden Schneider, to fill an immediate organizational hole on the right side of their defense.
TRADE:
To New York:
JT Miller (C/LW) (50% Retained)
To Vancouver:
Braden Schneider (RHD)
Filip Chytil (C/LW)
2022 1st Round Pick
The Rangers part with a prized prospect and a young roster player here, but add a star forward who fits the team like a glove. The bonus here is that Miller is not a rental and is also under contract next season but acquiring a top-line center at 2.6M AAV will not come cheap.
On the surface, this may seem like a steep price, but with the serious interest around Miller league-wide, this is the price they will have to pay. As for the Canucks, they add a blue-chip prospect, a young roster player in Chytil who seemed to be on the brink of a breakout but has stalled offensively in recent years and could use a more prominent role on a new team to breakthrough. Chytil is a lot better than his numbers suggest.
According to MoneyPuck, Chytil ranks fourth on the Rangers with 8.2 expected goals, and third on the team with an expected goals per 60 minutes of 1.02, all while ranking 19th on the roster in time on ice. Chytil’s third-lowest shooting percentage on the team suggests that he’s simply hasn’t had the best puck-luck, but is getting to the right areas on the ice to score.
And lastly, an additional first-round pick would be nice as the Canucks have seemingly got into the habit of trading theirs away in past years. This signals a clear reset for the organization as they focus on building a roster built to contend around the age group of Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and Vasily Podkolzin.
Trade Scenario #2:
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche have dominated in the regular season but can’t seem to get over the hump in the playoffs. Miller is the type of player they would jump all over should he become available. Any trade that sends Miller to Colorado has to involve Alex Newhook coming the other way. Newhook, who’s been excellent for the Avalanche, isn’t Miller just yet, and Joe Sakic can only wait so long to truly go for the cup before the realities of the salary cap force them to make some difficult roster decisions. The addition of Miller to this already loaded Avalanche roster should quickly catapult them into the Stanley Cup favorites.
TRADE:
To Colorado:
JT Miller (C/LW) (50% retained)
To Vancouver:
Alex Newhook (C/LW)
2023 2nd Round Pick
Tyson Jost (C/LW)
Just as the Rangers had to part away with a prized prospect, the Avalanche will have to stomach the loss of Alex Newhook. But two legitimate cracks at the Stanley Cup with Miller slotting in the team’s top six makes losing Newhook easier to overcome. As for the Canucks, Newhook comes in and slots in as the third line center or in the top six as a winger and will be given every opportunity to produce.
After trading their first-round picks in recent years, the Canucks do not have a single blue-chip prospect in the pipeline, and the addition of Newhook gives the team a potential star that fits the timeline of their core pieces. Moreover, Tyson Jost’s progress has stalled, and he comes to Vancouver looking for a fresh start with a change of scenery, hoping to do him some good.