This is a deal built around Dawson Mercer, which is a great piece for the Canucks to get in a J.T. Miller trade. Many teams have been opining for Mercer for a while in trades, and the Devils refuse to budge. It would be interesting that the Devils would trade all three first-round picks from the 2020 NHL Draft, but that's another story.
While Devils fans are annoyed with Mercer, another team would thrive with him on the roster. They would love to get a 23-year-old forward who has two 20-goal seasons and one where he had 27 goals. He has some issues with consistency, but that can get better with age.
Adding Tomas Tatar and Nathan Bastian helps with the salaries, but the second-round pick helps even out the value. We do think the Miller value is much lower than some expect, and his impact on the team as a whole is hurting the locker room. Even if he himself isn’t hurting the locker room, the constant questions and the fact that he was just benched have to be annoying for the rest of the team.
This is a fair trade when holding onto the entire $8 million contract for Miller. Canucks fans might not be happy at first, but they will love Mercer.