They say everything is bigger in Texas. It’s certainly true about the toast. But what about the potential return for JT Miller?
While much of the focus in the supposed trade talks has been on the New York area and on the Carolina Hurricanes specifically, the Dallas Stars have also been floated around as a potential destination. Those rumours have been more indirect. We’ve heard of no scuttled trades, a la the Rangers. We’ve heard no potential returns, a la the Devils. We’ve mostly heard the Stars thrown onto the end of lists of possible Miller destinations.
Just yesterday, Elliotte Friedman wrote in his 32 Thoughts column that “I’m not convinced about Dallas, either. I always assume I’m missing something, though.”
And we gotta say…we hope he is, indeed, missing something. Because of all the teams we’ve looked at so far, we do feel as though the Dallas Stars might be the team with the most interesting pieces to offer the Canucks in return for Miller.
One thing Dallas can’t offer? Immediate blueline help at the NHL level. They’re heavily reliant on their top-three of Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Esa Lindell, to the point that the rest of their D corps – Matt Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin, Nils Lundkvist, and Brendan Smith – aren’t really of much interest. And then there’s no chance anyone in that top-three moves.
So what else can Dallas offer Vancouver? Pretty much anything else they might desire, in a very much quality-over-quantity format.
Wyatt JohnstonC, 21, 6’2”, 184lb$894k AAV (expires 2025, RFA)
The most notable thing that the Stars can offer in return for Miller, that most other franchises can’t, is a viable replacement centre. That is, if they’re willing to part with Johnston.
Which may be a big ask. Johnston has been dynamite for Dallas since arriving in the NHL, with 24 goals as a rookie and then 32 last year as a sophomore.
But while Johnston’s overall game has improved, his scoring has also slowed down. He’s pacing for fewer than 20 goals right now, and effectively played himself out of the running for Team Canada at the 4 Nations earlier in the season. No one is ready to give up on Johnston as a future big league star, but…
The time for Dallas to ‘go for it’ is definitely now. If they feel as though they’ve got a better chance to win a Stanley Cup with Miller than they do with Johnston over the next couple of years, maybe the Canucks can convince them to put this player on the table.
It would have to be pretty close to one-for-one, with perhaps the Canucks, not the Stars, throwing in something extra to compensate for the age discrepancy. It could be seen as encouraging that the Stars have yet to extend Johnston, a pending RFA.
In any case, of all the potential returns we’ve looked at, this is the one that might hurt the least.
Logan StankovenC, 21, 5’8”, 165lb$814k AAV (expires 2026, RFA)
This would be a nice one to set right. The Canucks let Stankoven pass by them in the 2021 Entry Draft despite his coming from their backyard, and many have regretted it since. Stankoven’s in the NHL now, and is having a fine rookie campaign, albeit one that has slowed down of late.
The book on Stankoven is pretty simple: a high amount of skill, drive, and top-end offensive potential, brought down pretty much only by his size.
That Stankoven is already finding some success at this level suggests the size won’t hold him back much. But it may delay the timeline of his coming fully into his own, and as we have already mentioned, Dallas may not be able to afford all that patience.
Stankoven would give the Canucks someone they could slide into the 2C role right away, and then have him grow into it from there.
Lian BichselLHD, 20, 6’7”, 231lb$918k AAV (expires 2027, RFA)
The Stars’ most exciting prospect might be the one not on the roster right now. Bichsel is absolutely gargantuan, and he knows how to use it. He’s described as a defence-first, punishing defender who skates exactly as well as he needs to in order to regularly crush the competition. He’s got enough skill to play sizeable minutes at the NHL level, and while those minutes might not be super productive, they do promise to be impactful.
He may not be a puck-moving defender, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a defender the Canucks would covet. He essentially projects as a much higher-quality version of the kind of D they’ve tried to sign in Carson Soucys, Derek Forborts, and Vinny Desharnaises.
And he looks ready right about now.
Mavrik BourqueC/W, 23, 5’11”, 181lb$894k AAV (expires 2025, RFA)
Call Bourque a clear three-of-three in a collection of three very intriguing young players. Bourque projects as an eventual top-six talent who has an abundance of speed, an energetic drive, and a renowned shot. He’s yet to put up any significant numbers at the NHL level, but he was a top scorer in the AHL as a professional sophomore last season. Bourque will put up numbers.
It’s as of yet unclear whether Bourque’s future is as a centre, or on the wing due to his less-than-ideal size. Either way, he’s a talent worth pursuing. All in all, the Canucks probably prefer Stankoven or Bichsel, but if they had to settle, Bourque looks like a mighty fine compromise. He’s probably also the one of the three that Dallas is most comfortable letting go, and probably by a fair margin.
Mason MarchmentLW, 29, 6’5”, 216lb$4.5m AAV (expires 2026, UFA) [10-team NTC]
The Stars don’t have a lot of cap space on hand – currently a bit over $2.5 million, though they can achieve more by putting Tyler Seguin on LTIR. In a scenario in which the Stars need to send some salary back to Vancouver in exchange for Miller, some have identified Marchment as the most likely candidate.
Marchment set career highs last season with 22 goals and 53 points, and was off to an even hotter start of 27 points in 33 games this year before getting hit in the face with a puck in December, requiring surgery. He’ll return soon enough.
Marchment offers up some of the same snarl as Miller, and could replace at least a portion of his offence. He’s not anyone the Canucks would want to make the centrepiece of a deal, but could theoretically be paired with a prospect to help the return be a blend of present and future benefits.
Christian KyrouRHD, 21, 5’11”, 165lb$878k AAV (expires 2026, RFA)
A couple more prospects worth mentioning. The first is Dallas’ top RHD prospect and brother of Jordan Kyrou. He’s a little on the smaller side, but is said to be a clever and smooth operator with the puck who just needs to develop his game a little more to reach the next level.
If only we could get over how much his name makes us think of Caillou.
Emil HemmingRW, 18, 6’2”, 196lb$975k AAV (expires 2027, RFA)
Hemming was just drafted last year at 29th overall, and the word on him is ‘big-time.’ Big-time speed, big-time shot, and big-time potential. He’s even pretty big for an 18-year-old already, and all those things combine to make him someone with a pretty sure NHL future. He’s both a high-quality sweetener and someone the Stars can probably afford to part with given his distance from big league minutes.
Picks
The Stars have all their own first round picks in this year and future ones. They’ve traded away their 2025 second rounder already, but that’s about it. They’ve got lots of selections to be made available.
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