Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller was benched by head coach Rick Tocchet in Thursday night's brutal 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and given his struggles, the trade rumours are only growing in strength.
This is not the first time the two have been connected, but according to Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects, the New Jersey Devils, who are in need of center depth and supplementary scoring, are apparently genuinely interested in Miller.
"There's some smoke out there that the Devils are really kicking the tires on J.T. Miller," Robinson wrote on X on Friday morning.
There's some smoke out there that the Devils are really kicking the tires on JT Miller.
— Cam Robinson (@Hockey_Robinson) January 17, 2025
After another difficult, embarrassing, and listless loss, it is hard to imagine a scenario where the Canucks continue to push for the playoffs, even despite the fact that they trail the Calgary Flames by only one point for the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference.
The Devils, on the other hand, are seventh in the NHL with 58 points and a 26-15-6 record, but they are just 3-4-3 in their last 10 games. In other words, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald is starting to feel the pressure to give his team a kick in the pants later in the season.
Miller, 31, has five years remaining on his contract after this season at an $8 million cap hit, and it is worth noting that the Canucks' alternate captain has a full no-move clause in his contract until 2027.
Effectively, Miller has the final say on any deal, including any prospective Devils trade scenario that may arise in the coming days and weeks.