3 More Teams Speculated in Latest on JT Miller Trade Fits
The JT Miller Drama in Vancouver continues on Monday, as the Canucks will be engaged in more trade talks after a reported deal with the New York Rangers was "close", but fell apart at the 11th hour on Saturday.
Now, insider Elliotte Friedman, on his 32 Thoughts podcast, has speculated on three more teams as a potential fit for a Miller trade, though some more likely than others.
New Jersey Devils
Adding a JT Miller would surely push the Devils even farther into being one of the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. GM Tom Fitzgerald told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic that he's looking for another, but a certain kind: "Somebody that can come in and maybe give us that extra oomph." Sounds like Miller.
But of course that all depends on what they'd have to give up. And that leads Friedman to believe that this would be a difficult deal to make for New Jersey.
"I know there's been a lot of speculation about the Devils... (But) the Devils can't do it without roster surgery... So I'm not convinced it's the Devils."
Dallas Stars
Another Stanley Cup contender, the Stars are looking to make a big splash, and with $9.85M of Tyler Seguin's cap hit to put on LTIR, they'll have plenty to spend to get something done. Recent reports have them looking at adding a scoring forward as well as a defenseman, so they will likely be sniffing around. But Friedman isn't so sure: "There have been some reports about Dallas, but I'm not convinced it's them either."
Carolina Hurricanes
Last year at the trade deadline, the Canes made a huge move, bringing in Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Could they look to do something similar this time around with Miller?
Certainly, head coach Rod Brind’Amour would find Miller's intensity a perfect fit for his team.
"One team I do wonder about is Carolina," said Friedman. "That's a team that makes some sense to me."
As of Monday morning, nothing appears imminent, but that could change at any moment.
Vancouver's next game is at home on Tuesday night against the Buffalo Sabres.
Photo: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images