As it turns out, there is more to the J.T. Miller trade rumours than just the idea that the Vancouver Canucks, understandably, did not want to swap him for New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad straight up. The Canucks apparently wanted more, and the Rangers refused to go there.
According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, who has consistently gradually released more and more tidbits on the situation, the Canucks wanted right-shot defenseman Braden Schneider in addition to Zibanejad, at a minimum.
The Rangers told the Canucks no on Schneider, and it wouldn't be the first time, according to Friedman.
"You’ll remember that when Miller took his mental health break, the Rangers, who covet the player, were in Vancouver. From what I understand, they approached the Canucks to discuss what something could look like, and Zibanejad was included in the conversation," Friedman wrote in his latest "32 Thoughts" column. "I don’t know that Zibanejad, who has a no-move clause, was ever approached. I asked at the time and did not receive a clear answer. I also think it was actually a bigger deal, and one of the issues is that Vancouver adores Braden Schneider, who the Rangers do not want to trade. This would be the second time New York has rejected a Vancouver attempt for him."
Schneider, 23, is a 6-foot-3, right-shot defender who has played no fewer than 81 games for the Rangers in each of the past two seasons, recording at least five goals and 18 points in each. Schneider is not a big point-producer, but he would serve as a nice compliment to a Quinn Hughes or a Quinn Hughes-type, like Erik Brannstrom.
By doing so, the Canucks could move Filip Hronek down to the second defense pairing and, in time, have Tom Willander begin his NHL career on the third defense pairing. This is all hypothetical, of course, but it is easy to see why the Canucks would covet a young player like Schneider.
Schneider, a Prince Albert native, has two years remaining on his contract at a $2.2 million cap hit and will be an RFA at age 24 when his contract expires in 2026.
As for Miller and Zibanejad, the 31-year-olds are signed by the Canucks and Rangers, respectively, through 2030, and both players have no-move clauses in their contracts. It is also worth noting that Zibanejad's $8.5 million cap hit is slightly higher than Miller's $8 million cap hit.