Why The New York Rangers Should Pass On A J.T. Miller Trade With Canucks

As they try to salvage what’s left of their season, the New York Rangers are rumored to be interested in acquiring beleaguered Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller. 

As per The Athletic, the Canucks were reportedly discussing a deal with the Blueshirts this weekend that could've involved sending center Filip Chytil, defenseman Ryan Lindgren and a first-round draft pick Vancouver’s way in return for the 31-year-old Miller.

Miller played parts of his first six NHL seasons with the Rangers, including recording 56 points in 82 games in 2016-17. The Rangers traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2018, but his point totals eventually skyrocketed with the Canucks. He's recorded more than a point per game four times for Vancouver, including a career-high 103 points in 2023-24.

But is Miller really going to be the piece that puts the Rangers back into Stanley Cup playoff contention? Or will he only get them into the mushy middle of the NHL and prevent them from landing a higher draft pick this summer?

Now's just not the best time for the Rangers to reacquire him.

It would be one thing if the Rangers were primed to go on a lengthy win streak to get them back in a wild-card spot. But there are currently four teams ahead of them in the wild-card race, and moneypuck.com only gives them a 50.8-percent chance of making the playoffs.

The chances of the Rangers turning their year around are not good. If all that Miller’s acquisition does is make them a team on the fringes of the post-season, they should reject that move, take their lumps this season, get a good draft pick and pull off a deal for a difference-maker this summer instead.

If the Canucks hold off on a Miller swap until the off-season, maybe it will allow the Rangers to revisit a Miller trade at that point. But not now, even if that means they miss their chance of getting him. 

The Rangers’ long-term future could use another high-end prospect after failing to make it work with the No. 2 pick in 2019, Kaapo Kakko. There are a lot of talented prospects near the top of the 2025 NHL draft who are about 14 years younger than Miller and can be bargains on entry-level deals.

There are also enticing NHL players who could be UFAs on July 1 for the Rangers to sign without costing them any trade assets. If they sign a top-two center that way, then they can make different trades for different assets to fill different holes.

The Rangers still have a strong core with Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox and Igor Shesterkin. Alexis Lafreniere has also improved in the past two seasons. They shouldn't let this season derail their plans of contending for a Stanley Cup. But that doesn't mean they should be desperate this season and try to shoehorn Miller into their lineup. The timing works much better in the summer.

Miller isn’t a franchise savior, and that’s why the Rangers should take a pass on dealing for him right now.