Here's why the Rangers decided not to rush into a J.T. Miller trade.
Despite a multitude of trade rumors involving J.T. Miller, he still remains a member of the Vancouver Canucks.
While there has been a slight holdup, if the right deal is on the table, the Canucks would likely pull the trigger.
“Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin prefer to be proactive and decisive,” Thomas Drance of The Athletic wrote. “In fact, the club views dealing at high volume as a competitive edge. It’s a philosophical tenant of how they want to go about their business.”
It’s Miller’s age, contract and slow production this season that has tanked his trade value. The New York Rangers were close to striking a deal with the Canucks, but ultimately backed out at the last second.
There’s a reason for that as it’s no coincidence a trade was not finalized.
“Given the term on Miller’s deal, his age, the fact he retains some control over the situation as a result of his full no-move clause and that the Hurricanes and Rangers ultimately decided not to consummate the various deals on the table, however, tells us too that Miller’s value as a trade asset isn’t quite commensurate with his stature,” Drance wrote.
The Carolina Hurricanes opted to trade for Mikko Rantanen over both Miller and Elias Pettersson, which certainly changed the trade market.
The Rangers are now the heavy favorites to acquire Miller, but the lengths Chris Drury is willing to go in order to get a deal completed is in question, especially given the fact that talks have already fallen through once.