J.T. Miller played his first game with the New York Rangers since 2018 on Sunday, and the 31-year old made a big impact scoring two goals in a loss to the Boston Bruins. However, is the trade worth it for the Blueshirts, or does it doom the teams' future?
The Rangers acquired Miller from the Vancouver Canucks for a hefty price. New York sent center Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini and a 2025 first-round pick in exchange for Miller, Erik Brannstrom and prospect Jackson Dorrington. The first rounder, which is top-13 protected, was later traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Who won the deal?
My initial instinct when the trade was announced was the Rangers had won the trade, as Miller is no doubt the best asset on either side. However, given how old Miller is, I don't think the Rangers made out like bandits as social media seems to think. Chytil was a big part of the Rangers' third line production, and losing him will hurt them. Chytil has been dealing with injury problems during his short career, mostly concussions. Many wondered if Chytil would even play in the NHL again after missing most of last season. However, Chytil has been solid this season, scoring 20 points in 41 games.
The Rangers will also miss Mancini. He played a few games for the Rangers earlier this season when Ryan Lindgren was injured, and there was plenty to be a fan of. He's not much of an offensive threat, but he's sound defensively. He skates well, and at 6 feet, 3 inches and 229 pounds, has plenty of size. I could see Mancini developing into a first-line defenseman, and pairing him with captain Quinn Hughes in Vancouver could be interesting to see. Of course, Mancini is only 22, so while he has some things to learn, he has plenty of time to do so.
For Vancouver, losing Miller will hurt. Miller has been his usual self for most of the season, putting up 35 points in 45 games this year for the Canucks. However, the drama between him and fellow forward Elias Pettersson became too much to ignore, and it was tearing the team apart. While it does sting, Vancover got a nice return for him. If Chytil can stay healthy, he could become a high-scoring second line centerman that could make an impact on the power play. Getting a solid, young and big defenseman is important as well. Vancouver used the first round pick from the Rangers in a trade with Pittsburgh, getting Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor. The Nucks also gave up Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais and Melvin Fernstrom. Overall, I believe the Canucks came away winners of this trade in the long term.
Rangers giving away too much
As a Rangers fan, I was dreading seeing the news that Miller was delt to the Rangers because I was worried about what New York would have to give up. Those nightmares became reality. The Blueshirts are 24-23-4 after a 6-3 loss to Boston, and getting a playoff spot and doing anything with it is far-fetched. Does Miller help fill a gap that the Rangers have been trying to fill for some time? Yes, but there were far many other options for New York before the season started, and they never made any moves to do it. As usual, the Rangers trade away their young talent for aging vets outside of their prime. Sound familiar? The Rangers traded away young talent when they sent Miller and then-captain Ryan McDonagh to Tampa Bay back in 2018. They did it already earlier this season when they traded Kappo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken (where Kakko has outperformed most of the Rangers' top six since arriving there).
The Rangers gave away way to much for Miller, and even though they say he will be there long-term, you really start to wonder how long that term will be for a player turning 32 in March. It's too soon to tell, but I believe the Rangers will scratch their heads wondering why they made this move in a few short seasons.