NHL Trade Rumors: Canucks' J.T. Miller Eyed by Rangers amid Leave of Absence

The New York Rangers have "recently inquired" about a potential trade for Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller, according to The Athletic's Arthur Staple and Peter Baugh.

Miller last played on Nov. 17 before the Canucks announced he was taking "indefinite leave for personal reasons."

Staple and Baugh called the inquiry "a long shot" due both to Miller's leave and his contract. The 31-year-old forward is currently in the second season of a seven-year, $56 million deal he signed with the Canucks in 2022.

The Rangers also pursued Miller ahead of the 2021-22 trade deadline, but the deal fell apart because New York was unwilling to trade Braden Schneider, per Staple and Baugh.

New York is set to spend $22 million against the cap to pay Artemi Panarin, Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad and Jacob Trouba next season, per Spotrac. If pending UFA Igor Shesterkin gets an extension, the Rangers are on track to dedicate more than 50 percent of the 2025-26 cap to their top five players.

Add in Alexis Lafrenière, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck and the Rangers already have their core locked in for at least one more season.

That could be a problem for general manager Chris Drury, who Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on Nov. 25 has "made it very clear they are interested in making moves and shaking up their roster."

"Among the names indicated are Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba, although other options will be considered," Friedman wrote.

The New York Post's Mollie Walker then reported that Drury "sent a memo to all 31 of his NHL counterparts announcing that the Rangers are open for business."

The memo listed "multiple players as available" other than Kreider and Trouba, Walker reported.

Zibanejad would make the most sense to move out if the Rangers took a swing at a top-line center like Miller.

But Zibanejad has almost a full no-movement clause on his contract, which has him locked in with the Rangers through 2029-30, per Spotrac. Panarin and Trocheck have similar restrictions.

The NHL trade deadline isn't until March 7. With two thirds of the regular season still remaining, other teams may be planning to wait until their playoff hopes— or lack thereof— are clearer before agreeing to a major trade. That will present a challenge to Drury's apparent hopes of securing a significant deal this calendar year.

At 12-8-1, the Rangers sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division and in an Eastern Conference wild card spot through 21 games.