Could J.T. Miller's Camp Cut Off Contract Talks With The Canucks Soon?

J.T. Miller is coming off the most productive year of his career, as he put up 99 points in 2021, and with unrestricted free agency looming after this coming season, talks between the Vancouver Canucks and Miller have understandably begun. There have been trade rumours about Miller dating back to before the 2021 season, but Vancouver decided to hold onto him, and now, are weighing up whether they should give him an extension, with contracts for the likes of Bo Horvat (2023) and Elias Petterson (2024) also coming up soon.

If there was a chance of a deal getting done before the upcoming season, The Athletic have recently broken a story that Miller's agent has declared there's a very good chance that their side will cut off contract talks with the Canucks when the 2022 season begins. That means Vancouver has a very tough decision to make coming up soon.

The majority of this Vancouver team are young, with Horvat, Petterson, Quin Hughes, Conor Garland, Brock Boeser and so many more being under the age of 27, while Miller on the other hand will be 30 before the 2022 season is over. This means that if contract talks do get cut off during the season, Vancouver will need to trade the upcoming UFA during the season, or risk a Johnny Gaudreau situation from this past off-season, where they risk losing him for absolutely nothing. 

Ultimately, it's a very tough decision for Vancouver, as Miller is very productive and could help this young forward group grow as they mature together, so they will have to weigh up whether a potential trade or a big contract going forward is more valuable to the team, all while risking losing him for absolutely nothing. 

Photo Credit: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports