Rangers could really use center J.T. Miller, but they'll have to part with some good young players
J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks skates during the third period against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena on January 18, 2025 in Vancouver. Credit: Getty Images
It’s been widely reported for much of this season that the Vancouver Canucks are considering trading center J.T. Miller or their other star center, Elias Pettersson. And it’s been widely reported that the Rangers, who drafted Miller in the first round in 2011 and traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the beginning of their February 2018 rebuild, would really, really love to have him back.
According to Sportsnet Insider Elliotte Friedman, Miller almost was traded to the Rangers over the weekend. Friedman reported on Saturday that a trade was so close to happening that Vancouver was planning to scratch Miller from Saturday night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. That night, the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ AHL farm team, scratched three players for their game at Charlotte, indicating they thought it was close, too.
But whatever deal was being talked about fell apart at the last minute. Miller played Saturday against Edmonton and had two assists in a 3-2 win. He remains a Vancouver Canuck for now.
The Rangers’ interest in Miller certainly is still alive, so a deal for him could be revived at any time. And if the Canucks remain determined to offload the 31-year-old, who scored 99, 82 and 103 points the previous three seasons, it would behoove the Rangers to be the ones who get him.
At the moment, the Rangers are 22-20-4 and outside of the playoff field with 36 games remaining. They are playing better of late — they’re currently on an eight-game point streak (5-0-3) and are 6-1-3 in 2025 — and if they continue to trend upward, they might be able to sneak into the playoffs.
Just getting into the playoffs isn’t the goal, though. These Rangers are supposed to contend for a Stanley Cup, and right now, their roster doesn’t resemble a Cup contender. Getting Miller, who has eight goals and 31 points in 35 games and is winning 58.6% of his faceoffs, would give them the true No. 1 center they currently lack and would make them a real threat in the East.
It’s been reported often that the Canucks want young defenseman Braden Schneider from the Rangers, but to this point, the Rangers have refused. Some reports have included Alexis Lafreniere’s name, but clearly, the Rangers don’t want to do that, either.
But legitimate No. 1 centers are a commodity in the NHL, and they rarely become available by trade. If and when they do, they can’t be had cheaply. Rangers general manager Chris Drury can’t expect to get Miller for minor-leaguers and surplus players. In order to get something good, he’s going to have to give up something good.
In the spring of 1994, the Rangers were the favorites to win the Stanley Cup and had the best record in the league. But GM Neil Smith, at the behest of coach Mike Keenan, nevertheless made a bunch of trades at the deadline. One was sending 20-year-old Todd Marchant, who’d played one NHL game, to Edmonton for 35-year-old Craig MacTavish. Another was sending Tony Amonte, 23, to Chicago for Brian Noonan and Stephane Matteau.
Marchant went on to play 16 NHL seasons for Edmonton, Columbus and Anaheim and won a Cup with Anaheim. Amonte played 15 seasons for Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Calgary. He had 416 goals and 900 points.
So the Rangers gave up a couple of really good young players.
But they won the Cup.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
