Should Bruins pursue Canucks center J.T. Miller on trade market? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins don’t have a ton of salary cap space, so the chances of them being in the mix for any of the top forwards on the free agent market seem pretty low.
Sure, the Bruins could put a few players who recently had offseason surgery — Charlie McAvoy, Brad Marchand, etc. — on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) to free up cap space, but then Boston would have to be cap compliant when those players are ready to return.
So the best avenue for the B’s to make meaningful improvements might be the trade market.
One name in the rumor mill this week is Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller. Miller was a much-talked about name before the trade deadline in March, and the Bruins reportedly were among the teams that had interest in him. Vancouver ultimately decided to hold on to him through the end of the regular season.
TSN’s Darren Dreger admitted on the latest episode of the Sekeres and Price podcast that he would be surprised if the 29-year-old forward isn’t moved this week. And with all 32 teams in Montreal for the 2022 NHL Draft on Thursday and Friday, it won’t be hard for general managers to get together and discuss deals.
“Vancouver wants good, young NHL players coming back,” Dreger said on the podcast. “The draft picks can be part of a package, but that can’t be the motivator to closing on a deal.”
The Bruins desperately need a No. 2 center. Miller set career highs with 32 goals, 67 assists and 99 points in 80 games for the Canucks last season. He finished ninth in the league in scoring and sixth in assists. Not only does Miller produce at a high rate offensively, he plays the type of power forward style that would make him a strong fit in Boston. He would be a huge upgrade for Boston’s top-six.
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Acquiring him might be tricky for the Bruins, though. If the Canucks are intent on receiving young NHL players in return, well, the Bruins don’t have a ton of those. Outside of McAvoy and David Pastrnak, the best young players on the Bruins are winger Jake DeBrusk, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk and goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Fabian Lysell is Boston’s top prospect and could be a top-six winger at some point, but the 19-year-old prospect has never played in an NHL or AHL game.
Miller also is signed for one more year with a team-friendly cap hit of $5.25 million. Re-signing him to a long-term contract when he’s almost 30 years old is a risk, too. But the Bruins’ window to win is basically as long as captain Patrice Bergeron continues to play.
The Bruins must upgrade at center before next season, so whether that’s trading for Miller, bringing back David Krejci or signing a free agent like Vincent Trocheck, something has to be done.
