The New Jersey Devils have been in a slump. As the team sees their NHL Standings lead drop, many fans are calling for them to make a trade. There are a few players who are available and make sense for the Devils. Jared McCann could help the Devils with their need for harder shots. Ryan O'Reilly immediately fixes their holes, but he will cost a lot. There are players who are available, especially in the Western Conference. Yet, the biggest microscope is on the Vancouver Canucks.
And that focus got even more clear on Tuesday after an article was released by Gary Mason of the Globe and Mail. The reporter spoke to Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford, and he had a lot of eye-opening responses. The one that stood out was what he said about the rift between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.
"“But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again and so it certainly appears like there’s not a good solution that would keep this group together.”"Jim Rutherford, via the Globe and Mail
That's not what you want to hear from a top-level executive in the organization. It's basically admitting that the rumors about the team are true. Not only does it show there is an issue in the Canucks locker room, but it gives everyone in the league a target, saying that both Pettersson and Miller are not only available, but they desperately need to leave the organization.
Devils should call Vancouver back because J.T. Miller can likely be had for cheap.
It's been pretty clear that Miller is available for a while, but the Canucks gave him a contract that's not exactly easy to move. Miller makes $8 million against the salary cap until 2030. That salary is probably why the Devils aren't more in this race. The Devils need a center with Nico Hiscier out, and they really need help in the top six. However, they can't pay Miller's salary this season, and his salary would make life really hard in future years with stars like Luke Hughes getting a raise soon.
Another quote in the article stood out, and it might show the Canucks know they aren't in an enviable position in these trade talks. Rutherford said he wants a center back in the deal, but he knows he can't expect a player with the impact Miller has. He even said he might have to expect someone outside a third-line center. The Devils obviously wouldn't give up their first or second-line center in a Miller deal. Would they even have to give up Dawson Mercer, or could they make this work with Erik Haula and some futures?
It sounds like an insulting offer, but the Canucks have put themselves in this position. They might take the first deal a team agrees to just to get out of this mess. With the Carolina Hurricanes getting themselves out of the race after the MIkko Rantanen-Taylor Hall deal, there are only a few teams still in the race. The Rangers are in it, but they're in a seven-team race for the last Wild Card spot. Is that the place to make a run for a player like Miller, giving up young pieces to make it happen?
If anyone was offering anything even remotely good for Miller, then the deal would have been done by now. The Devils might be worried about the impact Miller has on their locker room, but they have a veteran leadership that should keep that on lock. If the Canucks agree to retain some salary, that should help with the salary implications.
The Devils can make it work if the Canucks do the actual work. In a normal situation, this would never happen, but these aren't normal times in Vancouver.