By: Ryan Jainchill | Follow me on Twitter / X @Jainchill_Ryan
The Boston Bruins are considered a dark-horse contender for the services of Vancouver Canucks’ forward J.T. Miller, NHL insider Frank Seravalli said on Sports on Prime Canada last night. Seravalli said that with the team’s well-documented need for a top-line center, he feels that the Bruins could be a team “lurking in the weeds” on the Miller sweepstakes and have continued to keep close tabs on the 31-year-old forward.
“I do believe that the Boston Bruins have kept very close tabs on the Miller situation with the Vancouver Canucks. I would term them as a team ‘lurking in the weeds’ right now to try and monitor those prices, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this continues to linger on close to the March 7th deadline, even as much as Vancouver seems motivated and Miller seems ready to go, that they’re a team that could remain in the mix,” Seravalli said.
Miller, currently on year two of a seven-year, 56-million-dollar contract that pays him eight million annually, has eight goals and 25 assists in 37 games for the Canucks this season. Last year, he set a career-high in points with 103 points for the Pacific Division champion Canucks. But the situation for Miller in Vancouver has begun to deteriorate, especially with the rumors of dysfunction between the East Palestine, Ohio native and teammate Elias Pettersson.
Amidst Vancouver’s struggles this season, reports surfaced about a rift between Miller and Pettersson, with some saying the situation had become untenable. This prompted reports about Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin to explore options on both forwards. With the Canucks sitting three points back of the Calgary Flames for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference, change may be imminent in Vancouver.
Reports came out last week that the New York Rangers were the favorite to reacquire Miller, who spent his first six seasons in the NHL with the Blueshirts. According to The Athletic, the Rangers offered a young forward in Filip Chytil, a sturdy defenseman in former Bruin draft pick Ryan Lindgren and a “future-focused asset” deemed to be either prospects or a pick. Because this fell through due to pick protection disagreements, Vancouver is still weighing their options on packages and the interest they may be receiving from other teams. If Boston were to keep monitoring prices and eventually send an offer to Allvin and his staff, what would that look like? Does Boston have the space to bring in Miller?
The Canucks have some holes on their roster they would want to be filled, especially if they’re moving on from Miller. Based on what Rangers’ General Manager Chris Drury offered, Allvin would likely want a young forward, a defenseman, a prospect and a pick. This would help Vancouver in the short-term as well as possibly long-term.
Looking at the Bruins roster, there are a handful of untouchable players. But a combination of those on expiring deals and those with term and a player from the top of the Bruins’ bottom-of-the-league prospect pool could move the needle, especially if Vancouver gets desperate for a move. Vancouver ranks 25th in goals scored with 133 and 21st in goals against with 152 allowed, giving them a -19 differential. While the defensive woes can be chalked up to an injury to Filip Hronek and having goaltender Thatcher Demko miss the first part of the season, scoring has been a problem for the Canucks.
A player like Chytil is hard to compare to someone in Boston, as the 25-year-old forward has 20 points in 35 games playing middle-six minutes in year two of a four-year, 17.75 million dollar contract. Someone like Trent Frederic could be an option for Vancouver, as, despite a subpar season to his previous two, his scoring ability, versatility and physicality could be a good add for the Canucks. With Frederic set to be an unrestricted free agent at the season’s end, Vancouver would have to extend him, which could cost them less than Chytil’s deal.
On the defensive side, the Canucks have struggled to find a partner for last year’s Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes. The Canucks do have size on the back end, as Tyler Myers, Vincent Desharnais, Carson Soucy, and former Bruin Derek Forbort are all listed at 6’4” or taller. With that, Vancouver may be looking for a more offensively gifted defenseman rather than another burley player like Lindgren.
Immediately, Mason Lohrei comes to mind, as his offensive upside has been prominent in his two seasons with Boston. But would Don Sweeney want to move the 24-year-old defenseman? Due to the recent injuries on the backend, Lohrei has been deployed in every situation and is setting career highs in time on ice while showing development in his own end. Adding in the monetary aspect of the trade, Lohrei is in the final season of his rookie contract, so an in-season deal that would have Boston taking on Miller’s eight million dollars might pose an issue.
If Allvin does not want to retain any money and still acquire a two-way defenseman who can help them now and in the future, Hampus Lindholm could catch his attention. In year three of an eight-year deal, Lindholm makes six and a half million per season, which would balance out the money but hamper the Bruins’ defensive core. Lindholm was the Bruins ‘ sturdiest defenseman before getting injured during the Bruins’ visit to St. Louis in November and his two-month absence has been felt. While Lindholm would make the money work, it’s unsure if Sweeney would be comfortable moving arguably his best left-shot defenseman.
Seravalli’s thoughts can be interpreted as the Bruins monitoring the market but may not have the assets to make a deal without Vancouver significantly changing its value on Miller. Whether that change is due to play, the situation deteriorating or just getting closer to the deadline, the Bruins may be on the outside looking in on the Miller sweepstakes, especially with what the Rangers or other teams can offer. Adding in the money aspect and the length of the contract, is this the right path for the Bruins to take? That’s up to management to decide. But if the Bruins can start to rattle off wins and build separation in the jam-packed Eastern Conference wild card race, this may be the move Sweeney and his staff choose to make.
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