The Carolina Hurricanes executed a blockbuster trade on Friday night, acquiring Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall from the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks while parting ways with Martin Necas and Jack Drury. One name the Hurricanes were in talks to acquire beforehand was none other than Vancouver Canucks star J.T. Miller.
According to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, the Canucks asked the Hurricanes for Martin Necas in negotiations for J.T. Miller, but that was a price general manager Eric Tulsky and the Hurricanes were not willing to meet. In other words, Carolina valued Necas significantly more than Miller.
"Necas was a name that came up in Carolina's discussions with Vancouver about J.T. Miller but the Hurricanes weren't willing to part with him for Miller," Wyshynski posted on X. "Patience is a virtue."
Necas was a name that came up in Carolina's discussions with Vancouver about J.T. Miller but the Hurricanes weren't willing to part with him for Miller.
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) January 25, 2025
Patience is a virtue.
Age is likely a factor, as Necas is still 26 and has 55 points already in just 49 games. Miller, on the other hand, is 31, has only eight goals and 33 points in 37 games, and is signed at an $8 million cap hit until 2030, when he will be 37.
It will be interesting to see where the Miller saga goes from here, as the Hurricanes were originally the running favorites to acquire the veteran forward from the Canucks with the New Jersey Devils seemingly out of the picture.
Now that the Hurricanes are effectively out of the running, it is possible that talks with the Devils or the New York Rangers begin to ramp up. Perhaps the Avalanche get in on this action as well.