NHL Trade Rumors: Why Canucks Should Deal J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser Amid Latest Buzz

The Vancouver Canucks haven't made many playoff appearances in recent years. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, they have made it to the postseason only once—in 2019-20, when they were eliminated in the second round.

During the 2021-22 season, the Canucks went 40-30-12, and they were still alive in the race for a playoff berth in April. However, they ended up with 92 points and finished in 10th place in the Western Conference, five points back of the Nashville Predators, the final team in the West to get in.

Now, Vancouver heads into the offseason with decisions to make. What should the Canucks do to keep the franchise moving forward and to get back into the playoffs in the near future? At the same time, they're looking to build their team into a perennial contender that can eventually capture the Stanley Cup for the first time in its history.

There could be some trades on the horizon for Vancouver. At least that's what some recent rumors have indicated.

According to TSN's Darren Dreger, it's "open season" for the Canucks on the trade market. And while Dreger doesn't believe this constitutes a "fire sale" for the team, it could be willing to move some of its proven players this summer.

Among the potential standouts, who could be on the move? Perhaps forwards J.T. Miller and/or Brock Boeser.

"The Canucks are interested in listening," Dreger reported. "[General manager] Patrik Allvin has been very busy, but the Canucks aren’t just in the market for draft picks. They need good, young players [and] if they’re giving up NHL players in return, it’ll be a very interesting offseason for them."

Boeser is a restricted free agent this summer, so Vancouver can match any offer sheets that the 25-year-old may receive from other teams. The Canucks could also re-sign him and then see what they can get for him in the trade market, should they choose to do so.

Although Boeser has played only five full NHL seasons (all with Vancouver), he's proved to be a reliable scorer. He's collected between 45 and 55 points in each of those seasons. During the 2021-22 campaign, he had 23 goals and 23 assists in 71 games.

It took the 29-year-old Miller a bit to reach his full potential. But he had a breakout showing during the 2021-22 season (his 10th in the NHL and third with the Canucks), as he set career highs in points (99), goals (32) and assists (67).

There's only one season remaining on Miller's contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2023. So it could be beneficial for Vancouver to deal him now and get some solid players and/or draft picks in return, especially if it doesn't plan on re-signing him next offseason.

Dreger believes there would be a lot of interested suitors for Miller on the trade market.

"There isn’t a Stanley Cup playoff team (including the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche) who wouldn’t consider Miller a good add on top of what they already have," Dreger reported.

If the Canucks are going to part with either Boeser or Miller, it would likely make more sense for it to be the latter. Miller will be turning 30 next season, and it's unknown whether he'll again produce the types of numbers he did during the 2021-22 campaign.

As for Boeser, he may still be getting better and could take his game to another level in the near future. But if Vancouver gets a big offer for him, it could be hard to turn down, especially as it still needs to add players at important positions throughout its roster.

So it makes sense that the Canucks would be open to listening to offers. And if they can get strong packages of players/picks in return, they should likely complete those deals in order to get a stronger core that can help them have sustained success moving forward.