Insider: Rangers-Canucks Deal For Miller Not Dead Yet?

We learned this week that the Vancouver Canucks rejected an offer from the New York Rangers of Mika Zibanejad for JT Miller. Not that that offer ever really had a chance. But now insider Elliotte Friedman is revealing more details, and he says a Rangers-Canucks deal for Miller may not be dead yet.

.@FriedgeHNIC was on NHL Morning Skate w/@LaughlinSXM @GordStellick
to talk about trade rumors between #NYR and #Canucks

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"I don't think it was a one-for-one deal," said Friedman, which makes a whole lot of sense, as Canucks GM Patrik Allvin wouldn't have taken long to say 'thanks, no thanks' on that offer.

The Rangers apparently first reached out when Miller took a personal leave from the Canucks in mid-November that lasted close to a month. During that time, the Blueshirts were on a Western road swing through Canada.

"They liked Miller a lot. When they saw (played) the Canucks, they approached them and said, 'When this (the personal leave) is over, what are you thinking?'.

"The Rangers did offer Zibanejad, I believe that's true," Friedman continued, "but one thing here is I don't know if Zibanejad was ever asked. He has a no-move clause, so he has control. But I don't think it was a one-for-one deal. I think that it was a bigger deal there."

Friedman then suggested that there's one player who could rejuvenate these talks.

I know that one player the Canucks really love on (the Rangers') roster is Braden Schneider. A couple of years ago when they asked about Miller, (the Canucks) asked for Schneider, and the Rangers said 'no.' And I believe that this happened again this year. They said 'We'd like Schneider to be in the deal' and the Rangers said no. He's got a big future in that organization.

We'll see where this goes. There's definitely something to it and there's definitely interest and everybody's trying to sort their way through.

Schneider was a first-round pick of the Rangers in the 2020 NHL draft, 19th overall, and he is one of the only names on the New York blue line this season that has not been taking any heat.

He's just 23, and has one year left on a two-year, $2.2 million AAV deal. He's averaged 130 blocked shots and 155 hits in each of the last two seasons, and this year is on pace for the same type of numbers while logging over 17 minutes per night and recording a plus-minus rating of +6.