Trade discussions between the Rangers and Canucks regarding J.T. Miller have been off and on in recent weeks. It appears they’re back on again as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that discussions between the two sides about the veteran are intensifying. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that Miller is expected to be made a healthy scratch tonight. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli adds (Twitter link) that other pieces from Vancouver will be going to New York in the swap as well. Meanwhile, TSN’s Farhan Lalji reports (Twitter link) that center Filip Chytil is among the pieces going to the Rangers. Larry Brooks of the New York Post relays (Twitter link) that New York will receive Miller and two prospects for Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini, and a protected first-round pick while Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the two prospects are defensemen Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington. Brooks adds (Twitter link) that the first-rounder is top-13 protected this season and if it doesn’t convey this year, Vancouver will receive New York’s unprotected 2026 first-round selection. Structuring the pick like that will encumber the Rangers from moving that 2026 selection in another trade later on.
Assuming these talks get across the finish line and that Miller waives his no-move protection to facilitate the swap, this will end what has been a rocky last several weeks for the 31-year-old. There has been speculation of an internal rift between Miller and center Elias Pettersson, something that team president Jim Rutherford confirmed earlier this week. As a result, Vancouver has been engaging in trade discussions involving both players for quite some time now.
Miller is set to return to his first NHL team with the Rangers having drafted him 15th overall back in 2011. He spent parts of six seasons with them, recording 172 points in 341 games before being moved to Tampa Bay in 2018. He spent parts of two years with them before Vancouver acquired Miller in the 2019 offseason and since then, his career has taken off.
After only recording more than 60 points just once in his career before joining Vancouver, Miller surpassed the point per game mark in four of his first five seasons with them; the only time he didn’t reach at least 70 points was the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Along the way, he signed a seven-year, $56MM contract that runs through the 2029-30 campaign, meaning New York will be adding another pricey contract to their books with an $8MM AAV; Seravalli reports (Twitter link) that Vancouver is not retaining salary on Miller’s contract.
But things haven’t gone quite so well for Miller this season. His offensive numbers – though still respectable – are down as he has nine goals and 26 assists in 40 games so far. He has just three tallies in his last 24 outings, however, and two of those came in one game. That drop in performance certainly didn’t help his trade value which likely contributed to the delay in getting this done.
Even with the drop-off in performance this year, Miller will still represent a sizable upgrade on Chytil in terms of role and production. He’ll give them a third veteran presence down the middle behind Mika Zibanejad, a duo that will be around for a while as Zibanejad is also inked through the 2029-30 campaign. Vincent Trocheck is also in the mix, signed through the 2028-29 season so they now have plenty of stability at that position for the foreseeable future.
As for the other pieces heading to New York, Brannstrom was once a highly-touted prospect after being a first-round pick for Vegas back in 2017. However, his offensive game – his calling card growing up – hasn’t quite materialized in the pros and he has bounced around since then; this will be his third team of the season after spending training camp with Colorado before being moved to Vancouver. Brannstrom has eight points in 28 NHL games this year but cleared waivers earlier this month and had been with AHL Abbotsford before the swap. The 25-year-old has a $900K cap hit (which wouldn’t count against the cap if he remains in the minors for New York) and will be a restricted free agent with salary arbitration rights this summer.
Dorrington, meanwhile, was a sixth-round pick by Vancouver in 2022, going 176th overall. He has spent the past three seasons at Northeastern University and has 10 points in 23 games for the Huskies in 2024-25. Dorrington will have one year of college eligibility remaining after this season so he could be a near-term addition for New York’s farm system.
Chytil is the headliner of the swap for the Canucks in terms of the players they’re getting back. The 25-year-old was originally expected to be part of New York’s long-term plans down the middle after they made him the 21st pick in 2017. However, Chytil has dealt with considerable concussion issues throughout his career which has caused him to miss significant time, including 72 games just last season.
However, Chytil isn’t too far removed from his best offensive season when he collected 22 goals and 23 assists in 72 games back in 2022-23, solid second-line production. He’s not too far off that pace this year either as he has 11 goals and nine helpers through 41 appearances. He’s averaging less than 15 minutes a game this season but if he lands on the second line behind Pettersson, it’s possible that Chytil could be in line for a bit of a bigger role with his new team.
More to follow.