According to a report by Arthur Staple and Peter Baugh of The Athletic, the New York Rangers have registered genuine interest in trying to trade for Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller, who played for the Rangers for parts of six seasons from 2013 to 2018 to start his NHL career.
Miller, 31, played a Canucks career-low 11:41 in a 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Nov. 17 and has been on a personal leave of absence since. It has been reported but not officially confirmed that Miller is simply sitting out for a mental reset and needs to clear his mind.
Rangers have been interested in J.T. Miller for a while
Here's what Staple and Baugh had to say about Miller and the Rangers:
"A league source said the Rangers recently inquired with the Canucks about J.T. Miller, who is currently on an indefinite leave of absence. Miller was a 2011 first-round pick by the Rangers and has been coveted by Drury before — the Rangers were after Miller before the 2021-22 trade deadline, but wouldn’t include Braden Schneider in a deal. Miller then signed a seven-year extension worth $8-million a year, pulling him off the market.
It’d be a long shot to try to trade for a player midseason who is on leave and is signed through 2030 at a big number. The only way the Rangers could make that trade work is by moving their own No. 1 center, already signed long-term and for similar money — and Mika Zibanejad has a full no-move clause to boot. So this inquiry likely didn’t get very far, but it may be emblematic of Drury’s strong desire to go big in changing his core group."
Canucks fans may recall reports made by various NHL insiders that the Rangers are willing to trade core players, including but not limited to Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, to try and give the team a shot in the arm; Elliotte Friedman has more on that below.
Top center Mika Zibanejad has had his bouts with inconsistency and currently sits at four goals, 11 assists, 15 points, and a -12 rating in 21 games. He's on pace for 59 points over an 82-game season, which would be his worst full season in a Rangers uniform by far.
A deal involving J.T. Miller would be a surprise for Canucks fans, Rangers fans, and the hockey community alike, but it does not sound like anything is imminent. There does appear to be a mutual benefit of swapping players who are struggling with the mental side of the game, but given both sides currently occupy a playoff spot, there is considerable risk to such a seismic trade so early in the season.