The Vancouver Canucks have hit a rough spot in their season. Over the last four of the last five games, three of which came in overtime. They’ve also dropped seven of the last ten games. Now scuffles like this usually are nothing to be concerned about. Over an 82-game season, there’s going to be hot and cold streaks. However, with the Cancucks clinching to the final wild-card spot in the west, they need to figure out the cause fast.
The problems aren’t only coming from the on-ice performance of the team. There have been reports of locker room drama. Specifically between Elias Petterson and JT Miller. This feud seemed to be all but confirmed a few days ago when both head coach Rich Tocchet and captain Quinn Hughes confirmed there was a problem between the two. Even Petterson reactions to question about the rumors make you believe there’s some truth to it.
Because of all this turmoil general manager Patrik Allvin has floated the idea of major changes. Including potentially trading Petterson, only a year after signing him to an eight-year extension. If a roster shakeup is something the Canucks want to do, they should look to trade Miller instead of Petterson.
Why The Canucks Should Trade Miller
A Miller trade would accomplish what Allvin has been alluding to. That is shaking up the roster and the locker room. It would also land the Canucks a nice return. Not as good as if they traded Petterson, but one that could benefit the team now, and in the future. In 25 games this season Miller has six goals, and 17 assists good for 23 points. He’s also coming off three straight seasons of scoring 80+ points. This means that Miller is a major part of the team’s offense, thus an important piece. Plus trading a first-line winger can land at least an NHL-ready player plus more.
A Miller trade could also solve the locker room issues the Canucks are facing. This isn’t the first time that Miller’s name has been linked to locker room turmoil. There have been multiple incidents where Miller was either beefing with one of his teammates. Or he was doing stuff on the ice to cause a distraction, like hitting the top of the goal with his stick. Moving him out might put an end to all the Canucks locker-room problems. Or at least make it so that every year there’s not a new story.
As mentioned before Peterson would land a better return. However, with the Canucks signing him to that extension it makes him the cornerstone piece of your franchise. You expect him and Hughes to be the faces of the Canucks for the next decade. Trading him now would be pointless. There was no reason to give him that contract because you were gonna move on from him anyway.
Who Would Trade For Miller
Here are a couple of teams that could have interested in trading for the 31-year-old.
New York Rangers
One of the most likely destinations for Miller is somewhere he’s very familiar with. The Rangers originally drafted Miller back in 2011 with the 15th overall pick. Miller ended up playing with the Rangers for six seasons before being traded alongside then-captain Ryan McDonagh to Tampa.
However, with how this season has gone for the Rangers they also have been looking to shake up their roster. They’ve already moved Jacob Trouba and Kappo Kakko, but they’re far from done. They’ve talked about moving on from more key pieces like Chris Krieder. A Krieder and more for Miller swap could be what both teams need, as they are two high-paid players with similar production who could benefit from a change of scenery. It also gives the Canucks a player with tons of playoff experience, something every team loves to have.
Boston Bruins
After another offseason of speculating a falloff, the Bruins have shocked everyone and find themselves in third place in the Atlantic division with 44 points. However, just because Boston is in a playoff spot doesn’t mean they like the old Bruins teams that dominated everyone they played. This is a team that’s good but feels like it’s missing something.
What this Bruins team is lacking is guys who can lead the offense. Currently, they rank 25th in the NHL in goals per game averaging 2.66 goals a night. They’re the only team in the bottom ten of that stat that holds a playoff spot. Miller can add a spark to this offense. He’s been praised throughout his NHL career for his scoring ability. Bringing that to Boston might put this team back into Stanley Cup contender territory.
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