J.T. Miller’s name has increasingly appeared in the rumour mill in the days leading up to the Mar. 3 trade deadline, and another report — this one, out of Pittsburgh — surfaced on Tuesday.
According to a new report by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Matt Vensel, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks have “recently engaged in trade discussions” about Miller, who has 54 points in 59 games with Vancouver this season.
Here’s an excerpt from Vensel’s latest column on the subject in the Post-Gazette:
The Penguins and the Vancouver Canucks recently engaged in trade discussions centered on J.T. Miller, the standout Canucks forward who tallied 99 points last season, two league sources told the Post-Gazette.Per one of the sources, trade talks between the Penguins and Canucks reached an impasse. But they could be revisited prior to Friday’s trade deadline. […]Pulling off a trade for Miller, who hails from Coraopolis, may prove too difficult, but the interest is there. Miller, 29, is a versatile forward who possesses skill, scoring touch and snarl, plus a fiery personality that could breathe more life into a Penguins team that has gone 10-12-4 since Christmas and is currently clinging to a playoff spot.
As Vensel mentions, Miller has ties to Coraporalis, PA — a suburb of Pittsburgh — and it remains to be seen whether the Penguins would be able to make room for his seven-year contract extension, which has yet to take effect. The Penguins are currently hanging onto a wild card playoff spot with a 29–21–9 record and 67 points in 59 games.
Miller is under contract through the end of the 2029–30 season at an $8 million annual cap hit. While his current deal, which expires this summer, does not include any trade or movement protection, Miller’s extension features a full no-movement clause for its entirety and a partial no-trade clause between 2027 and 2030.
The New York Rangers originally selected Miller in the first round (No. 15 overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-1, 218-pound forward made his NHL debut with the Rangers in 2012–13 and spent parts of six seasons on Broadway before being dealt to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018.
Just over a year later, the Canucks acquired Miller from the Bolts in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick, a 2019 third-rounder, and the rights to goaltender Marek Mazanec. Since then, Miller has collected 94 goals and 271 points in 261 games over parts of four seasons in Vancouver.
Miller was brought in by the previous regime in Vancouver and the Canucks have already to begun to embark on their promised “major surgery” in recent weeks, most notably trading captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders. Could Miller be the next to go?
UPDATE 11:09 AM: Players not on LTIR and IR can still be moved. Despite being out “week-to-week” the Canucks have not placed Miller on any injured lists. The Penguins also just placed Brock McGinn and Mark Friedman on waivers, clearing out some roster and cap space in the process.
THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SHOW
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