Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller recently appeared in rumors linking him to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Could those rumors resurface in the off-season?
Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller recently appeared in rumors linking him to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Could those rumors resurface in the off-season?
Prior to the March trade deadline, there were rumors the Vancouver Canucks looked into shopping J.T. Miller. As their season draws to a disappointing close, some pundits wonder if there will be clarity this summer regarding the 30-year-old forward's future in Vancouver.
The Canucks signed Miller to a seven-year, $56-million contract extension last summer. However, their need to free up salary cap space for 2023-24 is once again providing fodder for trade speculation.
Earlier this week, The Athletic's Thomas Drance included Miller's situation among what he believes is management's off-season “to-do” list. He cited a number of sources claiming the Canucks had discussions with the Pittsburgh Penguins about Miller. One of them said those talks were initiated by the Canucks.
Sportsnet 650's Mike Halford and Jason Brough also weighed in on the chatter linking Miller to Pittsburgh. They felt the Penguins made perfect sense as a trade destination given their eventual need to replace longtime stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
CapFriendly shows the Penguins with $20.2 million in cap space for next season with 14 roster players under contract. They can afford Miller, but they must also ensure sufficient cap space to re-sign or replace pending free agents such as goalie Tristan Jarry and Jason Zucker. If the Penguins remain interested, they could ask the Canucks to retain part of Miller's cap hit or take back a contract in return.
Drance believes the Miller trade speculation will increase in the lead-up to the 2023 NHL draft on June 28 and 29. However, he expressed skepticism over the versatile forward's trade value with that hefty new contract (with a full no-movement clause) kicking in on July 1.