CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA

Trade tree: Revisiting the deal that brought JT Miller to Vancouver in 2019

Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Jeff Paterson

Jul 14, 2026, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 14, 2026, 13:46 EDT

Comments

Many pieces of the deal that brought JT Miller to the Vancouver Canucks on the second day of the 2019 National Hockey League draft are still going strong. In fact, the Miller trade tree sprouted a handful of new branches just over a week ago.

To recap the initial deal, the Canucks acquired Miller from the Tampa Bay Lightning for goaltender Marek Mazanec, a 2019 third-round pick used to select netminder Hugo Alnefelt, and the key to the swap was a 2020 first-round pick. Mazanec never played for Tampa and has spent the past seven seasons in the Czech league. Alnefelt saw exactly one period of NHL action for the Bolts in the 2021-22 season and has played professionally in Europe for the last few years. His NHL career numbers read 20 minutes, three goals against, a 9.00 GAA and a .700 save percentage.

Pushing for the Stanley Cup the following spring, Tampa packaged the first-rounder it had acquired from the Canucks along with Nolan Foote to the New Jersey Devils for veteran Blake Coleman. The Devils used the selection to take towering blueliner Shakir Makhamadullin 20th overall.

The young Russian never suited up for the Devils. Instead, he was used as an asset and rolled into a sizable package to acquire Timo Meier from the San Jose Sharks at the 2023 NHL trade deadline. The official deal was Makhamadullin, Fabian Zetterlund, Nikita Okhotiuk, a 2023 first-rounder that became Quintin Musty, a second-rounder in 2024 and a seventh-round selection that same year. The Devils got Meier, with 50% of his salary retained by San Jose, along with Scott Harrington, Santeri Hatakka, Timur Ibragimov, Zach Emond, and a fifth-round pick.

The Sharks later moved Zetterlund to Ottawa in a deal that brought former Vancouver Giant Zack Ostapchuk to the Bay Area. They also sent Okhotiuk to Calgary for a draft pick.

Meanwhile, Miller found a home in Vancouver and became the scoring star the Canucks hoped he would be, recording a career-high 103 points in the 2023-24 season. But as we all know now, his time with the Canucks did not end well. Losing, bickering, and one of the most-talked-about locker room dramas in recent history led to the veteran winger’s hasty departure in a significant deal with the New York Rangers in late January 2025. Miller returned to the team that drafted him in 2011, along with Erik Brännström and Jackson Dorrington, in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a 2025 first-round pick that took on a life of its own.

That selection was quickly flipped to Pittsburgh, along with Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais, and prospect Melvin Fernstrom, for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. The Penguins then moved the pick to Philadelphia at the 2025 draft, and the Flyers wound up using it to select Jack Nesbitt twelfth overall. Meanwhile, the Penguins dropped back in the draft but added an additional first-rounder for their troubles and selected Bill Zonnon and Will Horcoff two picks apart that year.

Going back to Brännström, the Swede never played in the NHL again after his 28 games for the Canucks in the 2024-25 season. But his part of the trade tree didn’t end with the Rangers. He was on the move again. This time, just over a month later at the 2025 trade deadline, to Buffalo for Nicolas Aube-Kubel.

Another quick swap saw the Pittsburgh Penguins move Vincent Desharnais to San Jose for a fifth-round pick in the 2028 draft, a month after they acquired him. The Pens also moved Danton Heinen with a second-round pick in 2026 and a third-rounder in 2027 to Columbus in exchange for Egor Chinakov. The Blue Jackets then used that second round pick as part of a package to land Valeri Nichushkin from Colorado in June.

All of this brings us back to recent weeks, when the Canucks sent Marcus Pettersson to the Rangers for a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2030. And Mukhamadullin was on the move again, this time to Edmonton along with Zachary Sharp in exchange for Darnell Nurse.

So when the 2026-27 NHL season rolls around, and you see Marcus Pettersson in a Rangers jersey, Darnell Nurse in Sharks colours and Val Nichushkin skating as a Columbus Blue Jacket, just remember that they’re all part of the trade tree from the original deal that brought JT Miller to Vancouver in 2019.

PRESENTED BY NATION GEAR

THE OFFSEASON SOCIAL CLUB HAS ARRIVED! The new era of Nation Gear starts here. Introducing the Nation Gear x Levelwear Offseason Social Club Collection — a limited edition collection built for the fans who know the sports lifestyle doesn’t stop. Designed for golf rounds, patio hangs, weekend trips, and every plan in between, this collection blends premium performance with everyday leisure. It’s versatile enough to dress up, comfortable enough to live in, and made for wherever the offseason takes you. Because being a sports fan isn’t a season — it’s a personality. Welcome to the club. Shop the Offseason Social Club now. nationgear.ca