The New York Rangers made a significant move on Friday night, acquiring seasoned center J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks in a multi-player trade.
In exchange, the Rangers sent center Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini, and a conditional draft pick for 2025 to the Canucks, while also bringing in defensemen Jackson Dorrington and Erik Brannstrom.
There had been speculation regarding the future of either Miller or teammate Elias Pettersson due to reported tensions between the two players.
Miller was notably a last-minute scratch prior to Vancouver’s game against Dallas, with the teams announcing the trade during that match.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin expressed gratitude toward Miller for his contributions in Vancouver, stating, “J.T. was a passionate impact player and good leader for our hockey team. Moving him was not an easy decision but we are pleased with our return from the Rangers. Both Filip and Victor are good additions for our club and we are excited to see what they bring to us on the ice.”
At 31 years old, Miller was originally drafted by the Rangers as the 15th overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft.
He spent parts of six seasons in New York before being traded to Tampa Bay alongside defenseman Ryan McDonagh on February 26, 2018.
Currently in the second year of a seven-year contract worth $56 million, Miller is expected to enhance a Rangers lineup that has seen a decline after last year’s Presidents’ Trophy win and subsequent appearance in the Eastern Conference final.
Miller has recorded nine goals and 26 assists in 40 games this season with Vancouver.
Currently, the Rangers sit in 13th place in the Eastern Conference, trailing Columbus by five points for the conference’s second wild card spot.
Over his career, Miller has amassed 247 goals and 427 assists over 839 games played for the Rangers, Lightning, and Canucks.
In playoff games, he has tallied 12 goals and 44 assists across 91 appearances.
Last season marked a career-best for Miller, where he achieved 37 goals, 66 assists, and 103 total points, along with 40 power-play points, nine game-winning goals, and 217 hits.
During his first tenure in New York, Miller accumulated 72 goals and 100 assists over 341 games played.
Filip Chytil, the 25-year-old center who joined the Rangers as the 21st overall pick in the 2017 draft, has recorded 75 goals and 89 assists in 378 games, which includes 11 goals and nine assists in 41 games so far this season.
Meanwhile, Mancini, who is 22 years old, made his NHL debut earlier this season, achieving one goal and four assists in 15 games with the Rangers, along with three goals and seven assists in 23 AHL games for Hartford.
Brannstrom, 25, has a career tally of 10 goals and 67 assists across 294 games, while Dorrington, at just 20, was a sixth-round pick by Vancouver in the 2022 draft.
