A pair of veteran Vancouver Canucks skaters have found their way onto Frank Seravalli’s latest Trade Targets list over at Daily Faceoff.
Seravalli included J.T. Miller (No. 5) and Tyler Myers (No. 12) on his first rankings of the 2023 off-season. San Jose Sharks defenceman Erik Karlsson, Philadelphia Flyers centre Kevin Hayes, and Colorado Avalanche defenceman Samuel Girard featured in the top three.
Here’s what Seravalli had to say about the status of Miller, whose seven-year contract extension (with a no-trade clause) is set to take effect on July 1:
5. J.T. Miller
Center/Wing, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 30
Stats: 81 GP, 30 G, 52 A, 82 Pts
Contract: 7 more seasons, $8 million AAV
Scoop: The way Miller closed out the season under new coach Rick Tocchet, it’s easy to envision him in the Canucks’ opening night lineup in October. He posted 41 points in 35 games under Tocchet, who will have no problem managing Miller’s challenging locker room presence. Yet, we know that the Canucks were deep in talks with the Penguins to move Miller before the deadline. Those fizzled and now Pittsburgh’s regime has changed. Has that trade partner evaporated? How much will the Canucks push to move him before his “no-trade” clause kicks in on July 1? They could desperately use the cap flexibility. You have to allow for the possibility in a depressed free agent market that a team will covet Miller enough to make a play.
And here’s Seravalli’s take on Myers, who recently wrapped up his fourth season in Canucks colours:
12. Tyler Myers
Right Defense, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 33
Stats: 78 GP, 1 G, 16 A, 17 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $6 million AAV
Scoop: Myers is a trade that might not materialize right at the beginning of the summer – if at all. Keep an eye on the $5 million signing bonus due. The belief is Myers’ bonus is due to be paid in September, shortly before training camp, which would leave him with just $1 million in salary to be paid after that during the course of the regular season. For any team interested acquiring team, there’s little incentive to pick up that tab, when you know the Canucks are on the hook for it. That means a trade could come together shortly after it’s paid, though it also makes him a heck of deadline commodity.
Notably absent on Seravalli’s latest list: Brock Boeser, who came in at No. 8 back in February. Conor Garland (No. 23) was also included in Seravalli’s pre-deadline rankings.
The Canucks made 10 trades during the 2022–23 regular season, most notably shipping out team captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders on January 30. They also traded Luke Schenn, Curtis Lazar, and Riley Stillman, while bringing in Ethan Bear, Filip Hronek, Anthony Beauvillier, and Vitali Kravtsov.
