Back on August 11th, Vancouver Canucks center JT Miller, While visiting former NHLer John Scott’s “Dropping the Gloves” podcast, described his reaction to hearing off-season trade speculation.
“Every time someone said something, 99-percent of that is not real, it’s a rumor mill,” Miller said. “I was traded to the Penguins twenty times this summer, I don’t know if you heard about that. There’s a lot of BS going on with the internet and all that, that’s mainly the reason I don’t have any of it.”
Earlier today, a cohort of Vancouver Hockey Now’s in New York sent along a clip of a headline above a photograph of Miller that said, “JT Miller’s camp opts to cut off all contract talks once the regular season commences.”
That news would actually make perfect sense for some players in his situation, but when VHN asked Miller’s agent about it, Brian Bartlett responded, “It’s possible we make a decision to cut off talks when the season starts, to avoid distractions for JT and his teammates, but we haven’t made that decision yet.”
Which raises the next question; With that possibility of a negotiating cut-off existing, are the Vancouver Canucks pressed into a deal, or content with waiting until the March 2023 trade deadline to see where things stand?
Between now and then they’d risk the chance of injury to the pending unrestricted free agent. If the Canucks were playing like gangbusters, a playoff contender or a sure thing, they’d have to ride the season out and hope for the best postseason results, all while knowing Miller could walk as a UFA for nothing at the season’s end. Those are the main risks.
If his performance is off and they’re not a playoff team, they might lose some of their bargaining power.
Sounds dangerous? Maybe not. On the 2nd day of the NHL Draft in Montreal this summer, Hockey Hall of Fame executive Lou Lamoriello summed up situations like this one to the media by stating, “If you have time, use it.”
That’s because Miller’s value could actually go up, playoff contenders might outbid one another for him as a rental, or the Vancouver Canucks might decide they want to sign him. So many options.
Speaking of Lamoriello, his New York Islanders club were one of a handful reportedly interested in Miller at that draft. Having spoken to four NHL GM’s just today, VHN can report that there are (at least) two Metro Division teams still interested in the Canucks top center. Where that leads depends on price point and timing.
As it stands, the Vancouver Canucks will move toward camp with remarkable depth at center.
Or as the club’s head coach Bruce Boudreau reiterated to us today, “Ours are as good as any three centers in the league.”