NHL Rumors: Rangers' Trade Offer of Mika Zibanejad for JT Miller Rejected by Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks reportedly turned down an offer from the New York Rangers to trade Mika Zibanejad for J.T. Miller earlier this season, according to The Athletic's Josh Yohe.

Both Miller and Zibanejad hold a no-move clauses. Even if the Canucks had pursued the trade, both players would have had to agree to the swap.

Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos did recently report he believes Miller would be willing to waive his no-move clause in order to go to the Rangers.

Despite a goalscoring slump Miller is having the more productive season of the pair, with 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 29 contests. Zibanejad has meanwhile recorded 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) while skating in ten more games.

Rangers general manager Chris Drury has been open about his willingness to trade core players this season. Drury went so far as to send a memo to all 31 teams advertising the availability of roster members in November, as reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and confirmed by multiple sources.

The Rangers have since traded captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks and forward Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken.

Those deals have yet to spark a resurgence for a team that went into the season expecting to be a playoff contender. The Rangers headed into the New Year outside of the playoff bubble and trailing only the Buffalo Sabres for the most regulation losses (20) in the Eastern Conference.

The Canucks are looking for a deadline shakeup of their own, according to Friedman. The NHL insider recently said on an episode of The FAN Hockey Show that tension between Miller and Canucks forward Elias Pettersson "has begun to spill over elsewhere into the organization."

Pettersson does not have a no-trade clause, although his contract will present a challenge should the Canucks decide to turn to a trade to resolve the reported split. The forward is in the first year of an eight-year, $92.8 million deal that has him set to remain on the books through the 2031-32 season.

The Canucks and Rangers both made it to the second round last season, with the Rangers getting as far as the Eastern Conference Final. Given that neither team currently looks on track for a deeper run, there's still a chance they could look to shake things up by moving Miller or Zibanejad before the March 7 trade deadline.