Reporter suggests that the Canucks and Devils could pull off a huge deal on draft day
We've long known that the Vancouver Canucks may have to move winger J.T. Miller if his contract demands are too rich for Vancouver's blood. There were several rumours leading up to the trade deadline that Miller could be on the trade block in VanCity, but with the Canucks still within reach of a playoff berth, they elected to hang onto the 29-year-old winger. Now, that move might pay dividends.
Per sports journalist Irfaan Gaffar, the chances of a monster trade during the 2022 draft are very high. The New Jersey Devils are looking to trade their first round pick, which is the second overall pick in the draft. We also know that the Devils are looking for an impact winger to play with Jack Hughes. J.T. Miller could certainly be that.
If the two clubs come together on a deal, the trade could end up looking something like this:
TO VANCOUVER - 2nd overall pick
TO NEW JERSEY - J.T. Miller (and possibly a pick).
Miller enjoyed a career year in 2021-22, posting an incredible 99 points in 80 games. He has produced at a rate of 88 points/82 games for the past 3 years.
Miller carries a $5.25M cap hit next season. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess. It would not be shocking to see his AAV jump to over $8M per season on his next deal. The Canucks, if they retain Miller, would likely be looking to keep his AAV around what Gabriel Landeskog signed for in Colorado last summer (8 years, $56M - a $7M AAV).
If Vancouver could offload Miller and land the 2nd overall pick and bring in one of Shane Wright, Logan Cooley or Juraj Slafkovsky, that would certainly provide them with some additional cap flexibility this summer and a potential franchise cornerstone all in one fell swoop.
