The Rangers have shown interest in JT Miller from the Canucks

The Rangers “recently” inquired about the star center’s trade availability from the Canucks JT Millera league source told Arthur Staple and Peter Baugh of The Athletic.

These conversations probably took place in the last week or so under the general manager Chris Drury On Monday, he put up an “Open for Business” sign, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting that he named both captains Jacob Trouba and three-time 30-goal goalscorer Chris Kreider available for trading. Four consecutive defeats and some problematic shot attempts and scoring chances at 5-on-5 throughout the season have set Drury’s urgency scale high as he tries to prevent last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners from a spot slip in the playoffs.

There is still a lot of cushion for the Rangers, who have slipped to a wild card spot but still have games to play against the three teams ahead of them in the Metropolitan Division. But they are now on pace for 98 points after scoring 114 a season ago and have a 29 percent chance of missing the playoffs, according to The Athletic.

That could mean the Rangers are willing to utilize one of their aforementioned trade chips or, more likely, a struggling center Mika Zibanejadto bring Miller back to where he started his NHL career. But as Staple and Baugh write, it is “a long attempt“Miller is signed for the 2029/2030 season at a maximum price of $8 million. A move for Zibanejad, who is under contract for the same length at a cap hit of $8.5 million, would likely require some salary retention given his poor start and could still be impossible given his full no-move clause.

There’s also the question of whether Miller, who also has an NMC in his contract with Vancouver, would consider a move back to Manhattan. The 31-year-old has scored six goals and 16 points in 17 games this season, with a rating of +1, but is currently out indefinitely for personal reasons as he is on leave.

Even though Miller is on pace for his lowest offensive output since the 2020-21 season, he would still be a significant improvement over Zibanejad’s production this year, which would likely require a larger package for Vancouver than a one-on-one -Exchange. Zibanejad has been a relatively minor factor, scoring just four goals in 21 games, scoring just three times, and by far the worst possession numbers of his 14-year career with 42.8 CF% and 40.9 xGF% at even strength.

While Drury’s initial request likely won’t result in a move, at least not immediately, it likely won’t be the last time he assesses Miller’s availability this season. As Baugh and Staple write, they were also interested in reuniting at the 2022 trade deadline when he was set to become an unrestricted free agent the following summer, but he ended up staying in Vancouver and signing his aforementioned extension.

Miller, who was selected 15th overall by the Rangers in 2011, recorded 72 goals, 100 assists and 172 points in 341 games with the Blueshirts before being traded to the Lightning at the 2018 deadline. After moving to Vancouver in the 2019 offseason, he scored more than a point per game in four of his five full seasons as a Canadian.