Canucks Trade J.T. Miller To The Rangers

Canucks Trade J.T. Miller To The Rangers

The Vancouver Canucks have traded center J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers.

The deal sends Miller, defenseman Erik Brannstrom, and prospect blueliner Jackson Dorrington to the Rangers in exchange for center Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini, and the Rangers 2025 first-round draft pick, which is top-13 protected.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The expectation was the Rangers or bust for Miller. The 31-year-old center returns to the team where his NHL career began 13 seasons ago.

The Vancouver Canucks trade center J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers. (NHL Images)

It’s not much of a return for a player of Miller’s caliber, suggesting the Canucks had few suitable alternatives. Canucks general manager Jim Rutherford admitted this week that the rift between Miller and teammate Elias Pettersson was hurting the club’s performance. He couldn’t let this fester any longer and risk derailing the remainder of the season.

The Canucks won’t be retaining any of Miller’s $8 million average annual value. His contract runs through 2029-30. That could hurt the Rangers during the final couple of seasons of Miller’s contract when his skills inevitably deteriorate. However, with the cap projected to rise substantially over the next three seasons, they’re unlikely to be too troubled if he improves their roster over the next three years.

It’ll be interesting to see where Miller fits in with the Rangers. He could skate on the first or second line, meaning Vincent Trocheck or the struggling Mika Zibanejad would drop to the third line.

Brannstrom is now moving to his third team this season. Released by the Ottawa Senators last summer, he signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche and was traded to the Canucks before the start of the regular season. He spent 28 games in Vancouver before being demoted to their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. Brannstrom will likely report to the Rangers’ AHL affiliate in Hartford.

Dorrington was a sixth-round selection (176th overall) by the Canucks in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s in his third season with Northeastern University. You can read his draft guide info on Elite Prospects.

Chytil was originally part of a failed deal between both clubs two weeks ago. He’s a solid two-way center who skates well and has strong playmaking skills, but he’s also been hampered by injuries, including four concussions, the last of which sidelined him for 72 regular-season games and six playoff contests in 2023-24.

With Miller’s departure, Chytil could fill the Canucks’ second-line center role. He’s signed through 2026-27 with an AAV of $4.437 million. He’s more affordable than Miller but lacks the latter’s skill level. With the freed-up cap space, perhaps the Canucks will attempt to use that savings to add to their roster before the March 7 trade deadline.

Mancini, 22, is a 6’3”, 229-pound right-shot defenseman who spent 15 games with the Rangers earlier this season. Chosen in the fifth round (159th overall) in the same draft as Dorrington, he’s a big defensive blueliner who could be employed in a regular shutdown role on the Canucks’ bottom pairing.










Avalanche Trade Mikko Rantanen To The Hurricanes In Three-Team Deal

Avalanche Trade Mikko Rantanen To The Hurricanes In Three-Team Deal

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports the Colorado Avalanche have traded forward Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team deal involving the Chicago Blackhawks.

According to Seravalli, the Blackhawks are sending Taylor Hall to the Hurricanes. Other reports suggest Martin Necas will be heading to the Avalanche.

Colorado Avalanche trade Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL Images).

Details to follow…

**UPDATE**

The trade is as follows:

Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall to the Hurricanes.

Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-rounder from the Hurricanes to the Avalanche.

A third-round pick going to the Blackhawks, who retain half of Rantanen’s $9.25 million cap hit. They retained no portion of Hall’s cap hit.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It’ll take a lot to top this blockbuster as the biggest trade of 2024-25, perhaps even of the entire calendar year of 2025, and we’re only just over three weeks into the new year.

This move signals the Hurricanes are going for it this season. Rantanen is one of the league’s elite scorers, on pace for his third straight 100-point campaign with 64 points in 49 games. He was also a Stanley Cup champion with the Avalanche in 2022 and his experience should prove helpful.

Hall is a former winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy (2018). His best seasons are behind him but he’s still a well-respected playmaking winger. He’s going from one of the league’s worst clubs to one of the better ones as his presence also bolsters the Hurricanes’ offense.

It’s been reported that Rantanen informed Avalanche management of his intention to test the free-agent market in July. Rather than stick with him as an own rental for one last playoff run, the Avs opted to ship him out for Necas and Drury. It remains to be seen if the Hurricanes will attempt to re-sign him before July 1.

Necas is a scoring forward who can play center or wing. The 26-year-old’s production cooled a bit following a hot start but he’s 12th among this season’s leading scorers with 55 points in 49 games, putting the 26-year-old on pace to exceed his career-high 71 points in 2022-23. He’s in the first season of a two-year deal with an average annual value of $6.5 million.

Drury, 24, saw checking-line duty with the Hurricanes. He missed 10 games with an injury hand and has nine points in 39 games after reaching 27 points in 74 games last season.

How Necas and Drury fit in with their new club will be interesting. The deal also freed up cap space for the Avalanche, creating speculation they’re not done making moves.

The Blackhawks used their cap space to facilitate this deal and move Hall to a playoff contender. In return, they received the 2025 third-round they traded to the Hurricanes last year.










Don’t Punish NHL Players to Close LTIR Loophole

Don’t Punish NHL Players to Close LTIR Loophole

For the second straight year, the Vegas Golden Knights placed captain Mark Stone on long-term injury reserve, freeing up his $9.5 million cap hit to bolster their roster at the trade deadline.

Stone was sidelined last season by back surgery, returning for the start of playoffs and leading his team to the Stanley Cup. This time, he’s out with a lacerated spleen. There is no timeline for his return but it seems unlikely he’ll be back for the start of the playoffs.

Conspiracy theorists among NHL followers accused the Golden Knights of cheating, overlooking the fact that every team can and has availed themselves of LTIR to garner salary-cap flexibility at any time during the regular season and offseason. It’s within the rules of the collective bargaining agreement.

Some teams acquire the contracts of players all but retired to career-ending injuries to free up cap room to boost their rosters or re-sign a star. Budget-conscious clubs have done so to ensure they reach the salary-cap floor.

Most of the complaints, however, are aimed at playoff contenders putting a sidelined player on LTIR and using the savings to add depth to their rosters before the playoffs, with the injured player returning at the start of the postseason.

As The Athletic’s Michael Russo observed, it’s a complaint that goes back to the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, when winger Nikita Kucherov missed the entire regular season recovering from offseason hip surgery. It also dates back to 2014-15 when Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane missed the rest of the regular season with a broken collarbone.

Like the Golden Knights with Stone, the Lightning and Blackhawks placed Kucherov and Kane on LTIR, using the cap savings to add depth to their rosters. Both stars returned for the start of the playoffs and helped their teams win the Stanley Cup.

That’s sparked calls in some circles for changes to LTIR rules to prevent teams from legally circumventing the salary cap. It was discussed at this week’s meeting of NHL general managers and will likely be on the agenda when they meet again in September.

NHL general managers can discuss proposed changes to the LTIR rules. However, they won’t be able to do anything about it until the next round of collective bargaining between the league and the NHL Players Association in 2025-26.

Russo suggested perhaps a rule extending the salary cap into the playoffs. Another was a player on LTIR not being healthy to play in the final game of the regular season being ineligible to play at the start of the postseason.

There’s a greater likelihood of Russo’s first suggestion being implemented than his second one. The NHLPA will fight that one tooth and nail because it’ll be seen as unfairly punishing a player for an injury.

If you’re talking about one game, it’s almost pointless if the player in question can return for the rest of the playoffs. But if you’re talking about the entirety of the opening round, I don’t see any team or its fans taking that well.

Most folks who complain about LTIR don’t like it unless it benefits their team. Then, they’re only too happy to point out how other teams do the same thing.

It’s worth remembering that the NHL had the opportunity to negotiate changes to LTIR during CBA negotiations in 2012 and 2020. It wasn’t a pressing issue for them back then.

Whether any major changes are implemented in the next round of CBA negotiations remains to be seen. It’s probably not a hill that the NHL will want to die on.










Sidney Crosby Will Stay In Pittsburgh

Sidney Crosby Will Stay In Pittsburgh

Speculation arose about Sidney Crosby’s future with the Pittsburgh Penguins after general manager Kyle Dubas shipped Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes before the March 8 trade deadline.

Guentzel spent most of his career in Pittsburgh as Crosby’s left winger. The duo enjoyed several productive seasons together, including a Stanley Cup in 2017.

Crosby was understandably terse in his response to reporters when asked what message Dubas was sending by trading Guentzel. “I don’t know. It’s probably a better question for them,” he said.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (NHL Images).

Last month, Crosby told The Athletic’s Rob Rossi that trading Guentzel wouldn’t affect his decision to remain with the Penguins. He also said that he wouldn’t offer any unsolicited opinions to Dubas regarding his long-time winger.

Crosby is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next July. It’s assumed he’ll sign a new contract to finish his career with the Penguins, possibly as early as this summer.

Some observers wondered if the Guentzel trade might change Crosby’s mind. For the first time in his 19-season NHL career, the Penguins are poised to miss the playoffs for the second straight season. Trading Guentzel signals Dubas’ intent to retool the roster at the very least.

TSN’s Martin Biron suggested the odds of Crosby re-signing with the Penguins dropped from 100 percent to 50 percent, citing the club’s change in direction.

Before the Guentzel trade, TNT’s Paul Bissonnette imagined what it would be like if the future Hall of Famer joined his buddy and fellow Cole Harbour, NS native Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado with the Avalanche, though he prefaced his post by saying, “I know it won’t happen but…”

Meanwhile, some fans took to social media dreaming up possible trade or free-agent destinations for Crosby. The Avalanche, Montreal Canadiens (his boyhood team), Boston Bruins (to play alongside long-time friend Brad Marchand), and Toronto Maple Leafs (to replace John Tavares when his contract expires next year) were among the proposed destinations.

I hate to burst your bubble, folks, but Crosby’s not leaving Pittsburgh.

Don’t take my word for it. Rossi hit back against the speculation, tweeting that Crosby will sign a contract extension on July 1. Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski tweeted he confirmed with people who spoke with Crosby that he’s not leaving. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also believes Crosby will sign an extension, speculating it’ll be a two or three-year deal worth $10.5 million annually.

I get why some folks would question why Crosby would stick around with the Penguins now that they’re heading toward a rebuild of some kind, especially when he’s still playing so well. They envision him chasing another Stanley Cup with MacKinnon or Marchand or going out on a high note by helping the Maple Leafs end their long Cup drought.

Unless something dramatically changes in Crosby’s relationship with the Penguins front office, he’ll remain loyal to the only NHL club he’s ever played for. The one he saved from potential relocation, giving them nearly two decades of great hockey and three Stanley Cups.

My bet is Crosby will follow in the footsteps of Mario Lemieux and stick around to pass the torch on to the next generation of potential Penguins stars.










Vancouver Canucks Sign Elias Pettersson To A Contract Extension

Vancouver Canucks Sign Elias Pettersson To A Contract Extension

The Vancouver Canucks announced they’ve signed Elias Pettersson to an eight-year, $92.8 million contract extension. The average annual value is $11.6 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: TSN’s Chris Johnston reports Pettersson will carry the NHL’s fifth-highest cap hit starting next season. Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews leads the pack with $13.25 million, followed by the Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6 million), the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid ($12.5 million) and the New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin ($11.642 million).

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (NHL Images).

It’s also just slightly more than Toronto’s William Nylander. On January 8, he inked an eight-year, $92 million contract ($11.5 million AAV).

Some of you will argue that the Canucks overpaid for Pettersson and that he’s not worth that much. However, the stats say otherwise. Since his Calder Trophy debut in 2018-19, he leads the Canucks in total goals (165) and points (398) while sitting third in assists with 165. He’s regularly finished among their top-two scorers each season (including two first-place finishes) except for his injury-shortened 2020-21 campaign.

Pettersson tallied a career-high 102 points last season, becoming the first Canuck to reach 100 points since Daniel Sedin in 2010-11 and only the fifth in franchise history to do so. With 75 points in 62 games this season, he could reach 100 points again.

The Canucks are enjoying their best season in years, jockeying for first place in the overall standings. They believe their Stanley Cup window is opening. To win hockey’s holy grail, they need a strong core.

Pettersson is key to that core and will remain so through his playing prime. If he maintains his recent offensive output throughout that contract it will be money well spent.










Revisiting My Concerns Regarding The Winnipeg Jets’ Future

Revisiting My Concerns Regarding The Winnipeg Jets’ Future

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The following was written on May 31, 2011, following the rebirth of the Winnipeg Jets following the sale and relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers. I felt it worthwhile to revisit this piece after Jets owner Mark Chipman raised concerns earlier this week about the club’s declining attendance.

I didn’t foresee a pandemic and the resulting inflation that would affect the Jets’ ticket sales. Nevertheless, most of the issues I mentioned remain relevant.

I’m not trying to say “I told you so” and I’m not taking any kind of victory lap here. I wanted this incarnation of the Jets to succeed and I still do. However, my worries then (and now) are genuine and relevant because of Winnipeg’s place as the NHL’s smallest market.

I’m interested in what you think about this situation. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.

Winnipeg Jets owner Mark Chipman (NHL Images).

The sale of the Atlanta Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment and the relocation of the team to Winnipeg, Manitoba, resulted in euphoria in a city that was getting back NHL hockey fifteen years after their beloved Jets were sold and relocated to Phoenix in 1996

Since then, hockey fans in that city and province dreamed of the day when an NHL franchise might return. What at one time seemed a mere pipe dream finally became reality, and they have every right to enjoy the moment.

Long-time readers of my work – either on this blog, my website, or my Foxsports.com column – know I have expressed serious doubts over the long-term viability of an NHL franchise in Winnipeg.

I know how much Manitobans in general, and Winnipeggers in particular, love hockey, and remember well how much heartbreak there was when the beloved Jets were sold and moved to Phoenix.

It’s been said an NHL franchise in Winnipeg would enjoy considerable fan and corporate support, that it would do so much better than any struggling southern U.S. team, and this time would buck the odds and silence doubters like me.

I don’t wish any ill will toward Winnipeg or Manitoba, and genuinely hope they’ll beat the odds this time around that the league will never abandon Winnipeg again. I am happy for everyone in Manitoba that you’re getting back an NHL franchise and wish them and their team the very best of luck

I’m not trying to rain on the parade, folks, but the questions I’ve raised over the years remain unanswered.

Can a city whose current metropolitan population (just over 764,000) accounts for over half the total population of the province (just over 1.2 million) – making it the smallest market in the league by a wide margin – sustain an NHL franchise for a prolonged period?

Can it continue to do so if that population grows by the same level (just over 70K) over the next fifteen years as it did over the last fifteen?

What proof is there Winnipeg fans will support their new franchise if it continues to struggle through the same level of mediocrity it did in Atlanta? It’s one thing for fans to say it, it’s another to put your money where your mouth is.

The high cost of attending games should be a serious concern for Winnipeg hockey fans.

The average fan cost index (FCI) for a family of four to attend an NHL game this season was $313.68. The lowest for a Canadian team was $328.92 (Ottawa), while the cost in the smallest market (Edmonton), with the smallest venue, was $346.46.

True North Sports and Entertainment chairman Mark Chipman has said the size of the MTS Centre means they’ll have to charge higher-than-average ticket prices for NHL games. TSN reports ticket prices for the franchise’s first season will be between $39 – $129 per game, with the average ticket price next season being $82.00, the third highest in the NHL, which could push the total FCI up toward $370.00 per game.

Over time, that expensive cost of attending NHL games could adversely affect attendance, especially season ticket sales – the lifeblood of NHL franchises – regardless of the team’s performance.

Just how prepared are Winnipeg and Manitoba hockey fans for that sticker shock?

How willing could fans be to pay higher than the league average consistently?

Are they willing to keep pace with the ever-increasing costs of attending NHL games? Can they afford it over the long term?

And don’t expect those prices to remain stagnant, or to make only tiny increases in the coming years. They’re only going to go higher, pushing the FCI up with it.

If attendance suffers from a higher-than-average FCI, will True North lower prices to attract more fans? And by how much? Is it even feasible for True North to do so?

Chipman has also said the player payroll will likely be in the mid-range of the salary cap. Wouldn’t that adversely affect management’s efforts to maintain a competitive team?

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Jets have been near the upper range of the salary cap several times, including this season.

For how long can a Winnipeg franchise continue to remain a “mid-range” salary cap team?

Would it be able to keep up with a rising salary cap if it remains tied to revenue under the next CBA?

Doesn’t that suggest the risk of reaching the point where they could struggle to remain over the mandated salary cap minimum?

Wouldn’t that raise concerns regarding the club’s ability to retain its best players, or attract top free-agent talent?

Back in April, when it appeared the Phoenix Coyotes would be moved to Winnipeg, goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, projected as the best goalie potentially available in this summer’s free-agent market, said he’d refuse to follow the club there.

Could Winnipeg prove unattractive to NHL free agents, regardless of how well the club performs in the coming years?

Chipman has previously said the MTS Centre cannot be expanded, meaning at some point – likely ten-fifteen years from now – a new arena with more seating capacity (over 18,000) might have to be built.

How long can the MTS Centre (now Canada Life Centre) remain a suitable venue for an NHL team before True North Sports and Entertainment starts suggesting they need a bigger one?

Sure, they could build a new venue with their own money. Billionaire David Thomson, who owns True North Sports and Entertainment, is not just one of the richest men in Canada, but also in the world.

But it must be remembered the Edmonton Oilers are also owned by a billionaire. Yet, he’s not picking up the full tab for the construction of a new arena while Quebec City and the province of Quebec are fully funding the cost for a new arena so that another billionaire – Quebecor’s Pierre-Karl Peladeau – can bid for an NHL team.

How do we know True North Sports and Entertainment will build a new venue entirely with their own money?

What if they could request the municipal and/or provincial government fund part or all of the cost of a new arena? How much would that cost?

Would a majority of Winnipeg fans support the idea of their tax dollars funding that enterprise?

Finally, the most troubling question: what will happen to a Winnipeg franchise if the value of the Canadian dollar declines?

Most Winnipeg supporters love to point to the strength of the Canadian dollar as a key reason why their city can better support an NHL franchise, and why it makes more sense for the league to have a seventh franchise – or more – in Canada.

Yet whenever it is suggested the value of the “loonie” could decline within the next ten years, those same supporters either change the subject or blithely dismiss it with the audacious claim the Canadian dollar won’t significantly decline again.

It was only nine years ago the Canadian dollar was worth roughly .61 cents US. It had gotten so low that MacLean’s magazine featured a cover story suggesting Canada should adopt the American dollar as its official currency.

The “loonie” rose significantly from 2002 to 2008, topping out at one point at $1.07 US, but in the aftermath of the global economic collapse of late 2008, the value of the “loonie” plunged by March 2009 to .77 cents US.

The Canadian dollar has since recovered and as of January 2011 has been at or over par with the American dollar.

Given these fluctuations, why isn’t there more concern over an eventual decline in the value of the Canadian dollar and the potential impact on a small-market Canadian team like Winnipeg?

Granted, it could take years to fully answer those questions. Still, it would be nice to know what the contingency plans are if the value of “loonie” goes into a steep decline, if attendance suffers due to high prices and/or a mediocre product, if ownership demands government assistance in constructing a bigger arena, if the Winnipeg market struggles to keep up with its bigger market peers, and if the club cannot afford to retain their best talent or attract top caliber free agents.

As long as those questions go unanswered, I fear Winnipeg could in fifteen or twenty years face the prospect of once again losing their NHL team, and as much as it hurt the last time, the next time could be much more painful.

Perhaps the biggest question that needs to be asked is, what assurances can the NHL and True North Sports and Entertainment give the hockey fans of Winnipeg and Manitoba that they won’t face the heartbreak of losing their team again?

Until those questions are suitably answered, I intend to keep asking them.