The Vancouver Canucks have a massive dilemma on their hands.
It’s clear that either J.T. Miller or Elias Pettersson needs to be moved. The entire saga between the two stars has become a distraction to the point where players are alluding to it affecting their on-ice performance.
The Canucks have seemingly landed on Miller as the player they will trade. That’s the right decision. He’s five years older, has a lower ceiling, and is inconsistent defensively — although neither player is a shining example of consistent effort.
Having a player on the trade block is not uncommon for NHL teams, but that’s not where the Canucks dilemma begins. The issue lies in the fact that a failed trade with the New York Rangers went public last Saturday, ramping up the noise and putting a massive spotlight on this situation.
What are we left with a week later? The Canucks have an assistant captain who the entire hockey world knows is not wanted by his club, and per a recent report from Postmedia’s Patrick Johnston, just one real potential trade partner in the Rangers.
All reports suggest the offers, which were not exciting to begin with, are only getting worse. While teams like the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils have been mentioned, they’re not incredibly serious. Clubs know the Canucks have no leverage, and they’re not afraid to grind them down into dust.
“The offers weren’t really great to begin with, and I think now they’re kind of fishing to see how low can we get the Vancouver Canucks to go,” said Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
“Can we get them to basically just have a fire sale here and say take this 100-point player off of our hands?”
The Canucks have just one move left up their sleeve: take Miller off the table and wait until the summer. While painful, it’s the best way forward for the organization in the long term.
Holding onto Miller for the next few months will be frustrating. In fact, keeping Miller on this roster — and all the associated baggage after the very public negotiations — likely means putting an end to any Stanley Cup aspirations for this season. But that’s okay. The Canucks have shown nothing this season that inspires confidence in being a group of that calibre.
When July rolls around, there will be several teams that were just eliminated in the first or second round and will be convinced they can build upon their newfound success. They’ll be looking for that additional piece. Who better than the 100-point, top-six centre who always plays hard? The Canucks don’t need to think hard to find an example. They were one of these teams just a few months ago.
The offseason salary cap rules and the expected significant jump for the ceiling will also create new suitors as more teams can fit Miller’s $8 million. There will be much less pressure for the Canucks to retain salary, something that will affect their finances until 2030 if they choose to do so.
And if you do take the patient approach, maybe your team does win some games down the stretch, and there’s less public pressure to make a trade, again giving you more leverage.
The Canucks have their backs against the wall. The whole league knows their position, and the players seem to be waiting for something to happen. They need to find a way to take back some of the leverage, and the best way to do that is to wait.