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Kristen Shilton
The Vancouver Canucks rocked the NHL with another Friday night blockbuster, trading forward J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers for forward Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini and a 2025 first-round draft pick.
Defensemen Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington were also part of the package with Miller to New York. The Rangers’ draft selection is top-13 protected; it becomes an unprotected 2026 first-round pick should the choice be that high.
Miller also waived his no-trade clause to facilitate the deal, which the Canucks and Rangers had been working on for weeks. The Canucks nearly held Miller out of a game against Edmonton earlier this month with a trade percolating between the two sides, but it fell through.
Now Miller is headed back to the Rangers, who drafted him 15th overall in 2011. He suited up for New York from 2012-18 before they traded him to Tampa. Miller joined the Canucks ahead of their 2019-20 season and inked a seven-year, $56 million extension with Vancouver that began in 2023-24. He leaves the Canucks as their second-leading scorer on the season with nine goals and 35 points.
It won’t be long now before fans see Miller back with the Blueshirts — he’s expected to be in the lineup when they face Boston on Saturday afternoon, and New York could use the help. The Rangers shockingly slipped out of playoff contention in the season’s first half but are now just five points back of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
The trade had to be a relief for Miller, who had been the subject of trade talks well before the rumor mill heated up earlier this month about him potentially landing back with the Rangers. The previous extension seemed to quell some of that momentum, but recently it felt increasingly inevitable Miller would be headed out of town.
The trade materialized just days after Canucks president Jim Rutherford confirmed reports that Miller clashed with Vancouver’s star center, Elias Pettersson. Miller and Pettersson had repeatedly denied rumors of strife, but Rutherford told The Globe and Mail on Tuesday that the tension between two of the Canucks most important players was real and hinted changes were imminent.
“I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved,” Rutherford told the outlet. “But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again, and so it certainly appears like there’s no good solution that would keep this group together.”
Rutherford’s decision to corroborate those reports went against what Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said during his midseason media availability, that it was “unfortunate” how those types of rumors had been impacting his team.
“I’m proud of the guys they’re capable of blocking a lot of noise out and just go out and play,” Allvin said then. “We want to create an environment where they feel safe and trusted. The players have galvanized and played extremely well under the circumstances.”
Chytil, a promising former first-round pick, has been slowed by injuries throughout his career and has 11 goals and 20 points in 41 games this season. The 25-year-old is likely to benefit from a fresh start — when healthy, he can be a reliable middle-six forward in Vancouver’s offense. The Canucks have struggled of late and sit one point back of a wild card spot in the Western Conference.