The New York Rangers are shuffling the deck.
The Rangers acquired disgruntled star J.T. Miller in a multiplayer deal with the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
The team received Miller and defensemen Jackson Dorrington and Erik Brannstrom, while sending center Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini, and a protected 2025 first round draft pick to Vancouver.
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Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller (9) looks on against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
The Canucks were expected to deal away either Miller or star center Elias Petersson after a reported rift between the two that dates back years.
“We’ve had our differences, maybe in some games, but I mean, he’s a teammate that I respect and yeah, he’s someone I like to play hockey with,” Petersson said in February 2023 on the “32 Thoughts: The Podcast.”
“Yeah, there’s a lot of speculation, obviously a lot, but he’s a teammate that I respect… it’s not an issue.”
Shortly after that, Miller commented on his relationship with Petersson.
“Petey and my relationship has come a long way. We’re still working at it. We’re completely different people, you know what I mean? You’re not going to be BFFs with everybody, but at the same time you come to work together. We are polar opposites in a lot of ways, but we’re working at it. We’ve come a long way,” Miller said via Sportsnet.
The relationship became untenable between the pair as time went on.
After Miller was benched in the third period of the Canucks 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on Nov. 17, the Canucks announced that Miller had taken a leave of absence on Nov. 20. Miller missed ten games, with his absence spanning a month.
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Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller (9) skates during warm-up prior to a game against the Washington Capitals at Rogers Arena. (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)
Miller’s absence was 10 games, and the rift between the pair was brought up again. Both players were soon in trade rumors.
Miller has always played with an edge, and Rangers general manager Chris Drury hopes that Miller can channel that edge he plays with to jolt the Rangers.
“I want to thank J.T. for his time here in Vancouver,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement. “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.”
Miller is in the second year of a seven-year, $56 million deal. The Canucks did not retain any money on Miller’s contract in the trade.
This season, Miller has nine goals and 26 assists in 40 games after setting career highs last season in goals (37) and assists (66) last season.
With the addition of Miller, the Rangers’ top three centers now are: Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad and Miller, a strong group on paper.
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Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller (9) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the second period at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)
The Rangers are 13th in the Eastern conference, five points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card spot.
This will be Miller’s second stint with the Rangers, as he was drafted by the team with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.
Miller spent parts of six seasons with New York before being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning with defenseman Ryan McDonaugh in February 2018.
During his first stint in New York, Miller had 72 goals and 100 assists in 341 games. For his career, Miller has totaled 247 goals and 427 assists in 839 games.
The main prize of the trade for the Canucks is Chytil, who has 75 goals and 89 assists in 378 career games, including 11 goals and nine assists in 41 games this season.
Chytil missed all but 10 games with concussion issues last season but has shown flashes of stardom when healthy.
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New York Rangers center Filip Chytil (72) plays the puck against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period at Bell Centre. (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)
“Heard some really good things,” Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said of Chytil. “I heard he’s very excited to come. Mancini I hear is a really big defenseman, young, that can play. Yeah, I think there’s some stuff to work with.”
Miller may be able to join the Rangers for their matchup against the Boston Bruins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
For the Canucks, their first game in the post-Miller era is against the Detroit Red Wings at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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