In recent weeks, the New Jersey Devils' offense has been absent. The bottom six forwards belong on a milk carton based on their struggles. Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic has more points than a majority of the Devils' bottom six forwards since the beginning of December. Tom Fitzgerald is trying to see who is available to add to this group poised to solidify themselves as a contender.
The Vancouver Canucks had high expectations going into the year and had their reasons for hope. However, they have not been able to live up to their expectations and have fallen flat. When teams struggle, issues seem to grow even bigger than they are. The Canucks have a situation on their hands to move on from one of their two disgruntled stars Elias Pettersson or J.T. Miller.
The Devils have a need for scoring. The Canucks have a need to move on from players who need a change of scenery. This is a match for both teams to get something they want.
Why not Elias Pettersson? While Pettersson is a good player in his own right, he just signed an extension where he will be making $11.6 million for the next seven years after this one. Prior to the extension, he was lighting the score sheet up. Since signing the deal, he is less than a point-per-game player and did not show up at all in the Canucks playoff run last season.
It would take a lot for the Devils, or any team for that matter, to get Pettersson on top of adding $11.6 million to your salary cap. That would mean the Devils would need to move multiple roster players to make the salaries work. The Canucks also do not seem to be as willing to move on from Pettersson as they would Miller.
It would not be wise for the Devils to add that type of contract with Luke Hughes needing an extension. While the salary cap is expected to go up higher than expected, there is a $3 million difference in Pettersson's and Miller's contracts.
Miller is making $8 million for the next five seasons. That is easier to fit in the salary cap picture the Devils currently have. He would fit the window the Devils currently have. That takes care of the money situation and the timeline.
The New Jersey Devils should make J.T. Miller a priority target.
Now for the elephant in the room.
Why would the Canucks want to move on from either player? There are reports that there is a rift between both players and it has gone beyond repair. Miller has denied the reported rift. He also took some time off earlier this season without any explanation, which is well within his right.
There is a stigma when it comes to Miller that he is not a good locker room guy and causes problems everywhere he goes. Let's look at that.
He was with the Rangers at the beginning of his career. While he missed curfew one time earlier in his career, there were no other stories of him being a problem. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a massive trade along with Ryan McDonaugh. This was when the Rangers said they were rebuilding and moved on from their household names.
In Tampa Bay, Miller thrived. Once again, there were no massive stories that said he was anything but a good player on and off the ice. He was traded to the Canucks as a cap casualty right before the Lightning hit their Stanley Cup-winning years.
With Vancouver, he has not been in the spotlight until recent memory. The question then becomes: if he was such a bad player off the ice, why would the Canucks sign him to an extension?
Miller has been a point-per-game player each of the last three seasons, including 103 points last season. This seems to be a case of a player not getting along with the team's star and being run out of town. In a Canadian market, things seem to get blown more out of proportion than they actually are, and this seems no different.
The stigma of him being a bad player off the ice is more a surface issues than anything else. There are many reports of Miller being someone in the room trying to keep the environment loose and fun for other players while performing at a high level.
Sometimes, he does not seem to have his head in the game. There have been a lot of times where you can say that about countless other players. In Miller's case right now, since people are looking for issues they are going to find them a lot more than they usually would.
With all of that being said, no writer or media member is a part of the team and will ever get all of the details from both sides. From what it seems to this writer, is that Miller is the scapegoat for a whole mess of issues in Vancouver.
JT Miller will add much-needed scoring and play making they need right now. With him having a no-movement clause, it is easier said than done to trade for him. He would also want to return to the New York area, specifically with the Rangers. With the Canucks having no leverage in a deal with a disgruntled player, a no-movement clause, and very few teams being able to trade for him, it may not take a lot for a team to trade for him.
Miller would add scoring and a veteran presence to a team that desperately needs a jolt of energy. With Miller on the block, there is no telling what a potential package could be. The Canucks have no leverage. Therefore, a package of Simon Nemec, Dawson Mercer, and more seems unlikely.
If Miller can get a fresh start and a change of scenery, the Devils could have a player put a 100-point season for the first time in their history. A line of Miller-Hughes-Bratt would become a deadly line of speed and skill as Miller is a clear upgrade over Ondrej Palat.
Palat would be able to go back to the depth role that he is most suited for at this point in his career. The Devils need to do something desperately before everything slips away even more than they have since the Christmas break.
While writing this, it was reported that the Devils do not permission to talk to Miller to waive his no movement clause while other teams do. That can change, but it does not seem likely the Devils will be able to trade for Miller.
They need to try their best to get permission to add a player of Miller's caliber.