J.T. Miller rumors have been flying around Twitter for the months now, but it seems that the Vancouver Canucks front office have chosen to get a deal done. The rumors began flying after several reports of a feud between Miller and fellow forward Elias Pettersson. Despite both players denying that there was anything going on, the coaches and front office haven't done much to smother the smoke. Now, both players are being considered for trades, with Miller being the main focus. The Rangers have been one of the teams mentioned in rumors, but does he really help the Rangers improve?
Miller's time in New York
Miller isn't unfamiliar with the Ranger's organization. Miller was drafted by the Rangers 15th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Level draft, and he stayed with the Rangers until New York traded him. Miller was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning along with Ryan McDonagh in 2018. Miller was with Tampa for two years before he was traded to Vancouver. Miller has had the best seasons of his career in Vancouver, but now that the Canucks are struggling, the team seems to be on the verge of falling apart.
What Miller brings
Miller brings some more scoring to the Rangers lineup, at least consistent scoring. Mika Zibanejad has been nothing like his past self, and having him on the second line every night is limiting the forwards that he plays with. Miller would help bring some more grit to the center position that Zibanejad just doesn't have. The Rangers have been playing much better throughout the month of January, but that's been mostly due to the nearly perfect play of Igor Shesterkin and some depth scoring. Miller has scored 33 points in 37 games, and that figure would most likely go up on the Rangers. Putting him with another power forward like Chris Kreider or Will Cuylle could be an interesting line combination.
Is it really needed?
In my opinion, the Rangers don't need to add Miller. The team has been playing better as of late, and the price for Miller won't be cheap. The Rangers were willing to give up Filip Chytil and Ryan Lindgren, as well as a first-round pick. That deal almost went through, but the Rangers and Canucks were unable to come to an agreement on conditions for the first round pick.
While Miller is no doubt a good player that the Rangers could benefit from, giving up Chytil is a bit much. Chytil is injury prone, but he's a better player than Zibanejad, at least so far this season. Not the mention that Chytil is 25 years old, and Miller is 31. The Rangers don't have a ton of youth on the roster, and trading away another young player after trading away Kappo Kakko isn't a good idea. The Rangers could benefit from trading Zibanejad, but talks went nowhere when the Rangers offered a straight swap earlier this season.
At the end of the day, Miller will be traded, most likely on the east coast, and the Rangers could very well be the destination. While New York will give up a lot for him, more than fans could be comfortable with, the Rangers seem keen to get him back in the Big Apple.