Should Islanders Revisit Potential Trade for J.T. Miller amid Latest NHL Rumors?

The New York Islanders may have been close to trading for J.T. Miller during the 2022 NHL draft in July. Or perhaps they weren't. It isn't clear just how close the Vancouver Canucks were to dealing the 29-year-old center.

But there was a ton of buzz around that time regarding a potential Isles-Canucks trade that would have sent Miller to New York ahead of the 2022-23 season. The Athletic's Kevin Kurz reported in July that it was "unclear" whether the two teams engaged in those types of talks amid all the rumors.

That doesn't rule out a future trade involving Miller, though. And with how the offseason has unfolded for the Islanders, it may be time for them to pursue a deal with the Canucks (potentially for a second time).

During a recent appearance on the Sekeres & Price Show, The Athletic's Rick Dhaliwal indicated that New York may be back in the market for Miller after it missed out on free-agent center Nazem Kadri, who signed with the Calgary Flames last week.

"The Islanders tried right up until the last minute to create cap space [for Kadri], but they just ran out of time," Dhaliwal said on the podcast. "Calgary, the Islanders, Colorado, Carolina were the teams in on Kadri. But here's the thing, and this gets into Vancouver—first of all, I'll be surprised if the Islanders do not revisit Miller and the Canucks. I think we would all be surprised."

Whether the Islanders can pull off a trade for Miller may also come down to the salary cap. They have about $2.14 million in available space, per CapFriendly, and Miller has a $5.25 million cap hit for the 2022-23 season, the final year of his current contract.

So in addition to likely parting with draft picks, New York would need to clear enough cap space to fit Miller onto its roster. Would it be able to do so and swing a deal with Vancouver? That isn't clear at this point.

But it would be a wise move for the Islanders to find a way to land Miller. He's a 10-year NHL veteran who is coming off an impressive 2021-22 season with the Canucks (his third with the team) in which he set career highs in points (99), goals (32) and assists (67) in 80 games.

Earlier this summer, Kurz's report indicated that Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello would be interested in bringing Miller to the team.

“That would be Lou’s type of player,” a league source told Kurz in July. “He wants a guy that’s going to show up and play every night, and one thing about J.T. Miller is he shows up and plays every night. I think that’s a guy I think fits right in to the Islanders right now. He changes the dynamic of your team instantly.”

And that's why New York should make a push to trade for Miller, an even stronger one than it may have had last month. The Islanders need an offensive boost, Miller would bring that, and it should be a great fit for both sides.