Everyone has an idea of what the Vancouver Canucks should do with J.T. Miller.
The team nearly traded Miller this past weekend before a deal with the New York Rangers fell apart at the last minute. Trade talks are far from over, with multiple teams confirmed to be interested in the two-way centre, including the Carolina Hurricanes.
Recent reports suggested the Canucks nearly traded Miller for Filip Chytil, Ryan Lindgren, and a first-round pick.
It’s a rare situation where a 100-point centre near the prime of his career is available on the midseason trade market. The Canucks must handle this decision carefully, as it will shape the direction of their team to come.
What the team does with Miller will have a significant impact on Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini’s club. It may be why he asked popular hockey media personality Paul Bissonnette for his thoughts on the situation when the two ran into each-other recently.
Bissonnette told the story on his Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. It happened when visiting Marilena, an Aquilini-owned restaurant in Victoria, BC.
Bissonnette sees a clear answer in the situation, and he told Aquilini as much.
“Regardless of how bad things are with J.T. Miller right now and the drama surrounding it, you don’t give away this asset for nothing. Given maybe the fact he’s a little bit banged up, I don’t think he’s playing his best hockey right now, maybe a little bit of frustration with the distraction of all the media stuff.”
“Don’t trade him for a first-rounder and [Filip] Chytil. That’s not the move. Because even if you don’t make playoffs this year and he’s not very good, and things fizzle out to the point where maybe he’s not even with the team anymore. I don’t think it’ll get there. How desperate are 10-15 teams this summer going to be at trying to get a first two-line centre?”
It’s true that the Canucks could likely get more from Miller if they waited until the summer, but with each passing day, the drama and pressure grows in Vancouver. It’s affecting their team right now, and players have even admitted as much.
“It’s been an interesting year, a lot of injuries, some distractions and stuff,” said Brock Boeser yesterday. “It can be tough to block everything out…sometimes I feel it affects our team in some games.”
The noise around the J.T. Miller situation is still at a fever pitch. A resolution could be coming any time but until then, the theories and speculation will continue.