As you may have heard, rumours are swirling from multiple insiders that the Vancouver Canucks are soliciting offers on J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. Also mentioned is that the Canucks are looking for a centreman in return for either player.
Figuring out which teams may be interested took a bit of digging, but the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, and Pittsburgh Penguins are all reported to have had various levels of interest in either player at one time or another.
Below is a look at the centre depth of each of these teams, which player the Canucks would ask for, which player the trade partner would offer, and who says “No.”
Boston Bruins
Centre Depth:
Pavel Zacha
Elias Lindholm
Charlie Coyle
John Beecher
Mark Kastelic
Who the Canucks will ask for: Elias Lindholm
Who the Bruins will offer: Elias Lindholm
Who says “No”: Elias Lindholm
The Canucks tried to extend Elias Lindholm but, by all accounts, were pretty quick to turn them down and focus on free agency after the Canucks’ playoff run ended. Despite getting third line deployment, his ice time was firmly in the top-six when playing for the Canucks.
With the Bruins, he’s under a half-point per game. He has not been the number one centre they envisioned when signing him to a lengthy contract. However, Lindholm holds all the cards here with a full no-movement clause. Even if the Canucks and Bruins wanted to swap him, Lindholm himself would likely be the one to shoot down any deal.
Buffalo Sabres
Centre Depth:
Tage Thompson
Dylan Cozens
Ryan McLeod
Peyton Krebs
Who the Canucks will ask for: Tage Thompson
Who the Sabres will offer: Dylan Cozens
Who says “No”: Canucks
While there have been many peaks and valleys in Thompson’s career, he’s still a big, right-handed centre and has seen his production rebound this season after a very underwhelming season last year. Signed until the summer of 2030 at a very reasonable cap hit of just over $7.1M, he’d allow for a similar scoring punch while creating additional cap space to fill out the rest of the roster.
It should be noted that Thompson is actually a year older than Pettersson. Dylan Cozens, on the other hand, has not rebounded from his poor 2023-24 season; after scoring only 47 points last season, he’s currently on pace for 40 this season. Signed for the same length of time as Thompson and at a similar cap hit, Cozens is only 23 years old, 6’3″ and right-handed. Unless he can turn his production around, his contract looks to be closer to underwater rather than represent any value.
While the Sabres may be amenable to a Pettersson for Thompson swap, the drop-off in production from Pettersson – as he’s the one they are rumoured to be interested in – to Cozens would be too much to stomach for the Canucks, who easily decline the Sabres counter-offer.
Carolina Hurricanes
Centre Depth:
Sebastian Aho
Jordan Staal
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Jack Drury
Who the Canucks will ask for: Sebastian Aho
Who the Hurricanes will offer: Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Who says “No”: Both
Before Pettersson re-signed with the Canucks, it was heavily rumoured that the Hurricanes made an offer to acquire him. The specifics of the discussed trade package are not known, but it was believed to be enticing enough for the Canucks to approach Pettersson and kickstart contract negotiations.
There’s a massive drop-off in the Hurricanes centre depth after Sebastian Aho, though. They have had Kotkaniemi masquerading as a second-line centre for a few years, and it’s a role he’s just not capable of handling. Since we’re just looking at centres as the…centrepiece…to any deal involving Pettersson or Miller in this exercise, this is a very easy “no” from both the Canucks and Hurricanes.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Centre Depth:
Sean Monahan
Cole Sillinger
Adam Fantilli
Justin Danforth
Sean Kuraly
Who the Canucks will ask for: Adam Fantilli
Who the Blue Jackets will offer: Cole Sillinger
Who says “No”: Blue Jackets…probably
Including the Blue Jackets is entirely hitched to the idea that maybe they want to get to the playoffs sooner rather than later.
Their trio of young Russians have taken big leaps, and the team has a healthy mix of young players mixed with producing veterans. With Don Waddell in charge, there’s really no way to predict who he prefers among the young centres on the roster. Both Fantilli and Sillinger were lottery picks with good size and offensive instincts. You can’t go wrong with either as a premier piece coming back in a package for Miller or Pettersson.
Detroit Red Wings
Centre Depth:
Dylan Larkin
J.T. Compher
Andrew Copp
Marco Kasper
Who the Canucks will ask for: Dylan Larkin
Who the Red Wings will offer: J.T. Compher
Who says “No”: Everyone
Until the emergence of Lucas Raymond last season, Dylan Larkin was the offensive engine of the Red Wings. Signed to a reasonable $8.7M until the summer of 2031, he represents very good value for the speed and scoring he brings. He also has a full no-trade clause and controls his fate.
J.T. Compher has been a decent low-end second-line centre for a couple of seasons, although his scoring has dipped this year compared to the previous two. Signed for three more seasons at $5.1M with a 10-team no-trade clause, his value is closer to neutral than positive.
The Red Wings don’t want to trade Larkin. The Canucks wouldn’t want Compher. Larkin and Compher are Midwest boys playing close to home. No one is happy in those scenarios. There might be a middle ground between the Canucks and Marco Kasper, who they reportedly liked in his draft year, but he was not considered a player with impact potential then and hasn’t shown that ability since joining the professional ranks.
Minnesota Wild
Centre Depth:
Joel Eriksson Ek
Marco Rossi
Ryan Hartman
Frederick Gaudreau
Marat Khnusnutdinov
Who the Canucks will ask for: Joel Eriksson Ek
Who the Wild will offer: Marco Rossi
Who says “No”: Canucks
Joel Eriksson Ek doesn’t have the offensive punch of either Miller or Pettersson, but he brings every single other intangible possible. He’s hard-nosed, proficient on special teams, skates fast, scores goals, and is signed to one of the best contracts in the entire league with four more seasons at $5.25M. He has spent a good chunk of this season injured and has a 10-team no-trade clause, however.
With Eriksson Ek injured, Rossi has picked up the scoring slack and is breaking out offensively, nearly a point per game. Unfortunately, he’s only 5’9″ and a restricted free agent after this season. While there is a world where the Wild are comfortable swapping Eriksson Ek for Miller, the Canucks might not like Rossi since this management team clearly favours size down the middle of the ice.
New Jersey Devils
Centre Depth:
Nico Hischier
Jack Hughes
Erik Haula
Curtis Lazar
Justin Dowling
Dawson Mercer*
Who the Canucks will ask for: Jack Hughes
Who the Devils will offer: Dawson Mercer
Who says “No”: Both but with a caveat
Let’s flip the script and unite the Hughes brothers in Vancouver. This is an obvious non-starter.
The Devils are constantly dealing with injuries to their top-six centres, which is why the Canucks centres – Miller in particular – are so appealing. Two of their most used centres are Curtis Lazar and Justin Dowling, both let go by the Canucks’ management team. As an organization, they don’t have the centre depth necessary to consummate a trade. However, they do have Dawson Mercer.
Mercer has played exclusively at wing this season, but he has played centre in the past. His offensive numbers have dipped since an excellent sophomore season, with just 10 goals and 21 points through 47 games this season. But he is 23 years old and signed for two more seasons at a reasonable cap hit ($4M). Additionally, there were rumours of the Canucks being interested in acquiring him last summer. If the Canucks think he can convert back to centre, that’s an appealing piece.
New York Islanders
Centre Depth:
Bo Horvat
Brock Nelson
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Casey Cizikas
Kyle MacLean
Who the Canucks will ask for: Pass
Who the Islanders will offer: Brock Nelson
Who says “No”: Canucks
Where’s Mathew Barzal? Not playing centre most of the time, that’s where. Bo Horvat is obviously off the table. Brock Nelson is the next best player and is averaging just over a half-point per game. He’s also a pending unrestricted free agent and is 33 years old. There just isn’t a match here if the Canucks are prioritizing centres.
New York Rangers
Centre Depth:
Vincent Trocheck
Mika Zibanejad
Filip Chytil
Sam Carrick
Who the Canucks will ask for: Vincent Trochek
Who the Rangers will offer: Mika Zibanejad
Who says “No”: Canucks
The appeal of the Rangers does not lie in the centres but in their young defencemen and wingers.
Vincent Trochek is a perfectly capable second-line centre. On the Rangers, however, he’s now their first-line centre. He also controls where he goes with a full no-movement clause this season.
According to a report by The Athletic’s Josh Yohe, the Rangers offered Zibanejad in exchange for Miller earlier in the season, and the Canucks rebuffed them. They’ve already said “No” once, and nothing has happened since to change their minds.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Centre Depth:
Sidney Crosby
Evgeni Malkin
Noel Acciari
Cody Glass
Blake Lizotte
Who the Canucks will ask for: Sidney Crosby
Who the Penguins will offer: Hanging up the phone
Who says “No”: Penguins
At this point, all Canucks fans should know the intense admiration nearly everyone in the league has for Sidney Crosby. It burns even brighter with the Canucks’ coaching staff and management than it does elsewhere, given their combined success. The only way Crosby is leaving Pittsburgh is if he asks for a trade. He hasn’t asked out, so they will not even be taking calls.
Here’s a bonus team that has not been featured in any rumours around Miller or Pettersson but it’s fun to pretend.
Anaheim Ducks
Centre Depth:
Ryan Strome
Mason McTavish
Trevor Zegras
Leo Carlsson
Isac Lundestrom
Who the Canucks will ask for: Leo Carlsson
Who the Ducks will offer: Trevor Zegras
Who says “No”: Canucks
There were a lot of rumblings during the 2023 NHL entry draft that the Canucks loved Leo Carlsson. His size, weight, age, and offensive skills are no less appealing now than at the draft. The Ducks would surely counter with struggling centre Trevor Zegras.
Once a poster boy for the NHL, his production and health have cratered for two straight seasons. Signed for another season at $5.75M before reaching RFA status, he’s closer to a reclamation project than a centrepiece.
This is a case where both teams say no to the other’s offer in short order. There is a middle ground where maybe the Ducks would be willing to offer McTavish instead. His offensive game hasn’t taken a step forward this year, but he’s only 21 years old (22 at the end of the month) and an RFA at the end of the year, although one with no arbitration rights. He’d be an intriguing option worth considering.
With that, we have the centre depth of all the teams rumoured to have interest in Miller & Pettersson. Obviously, some of these options are cheeky about who the Canucks and their prospective trade partner would ask for. However, all the rumours point to the Canucks prioritizing a high-end centre as a key piece of the return.
What do you think about these options Canucks fans? Is there anyone from this list that would interest you? Let us know in the comments.
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