Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers are talking trade: report
It takes two to tango, and it seems like the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers are looking to dance.
J.T. Miller has been linked to his former team on multiple occasions over the past five weeks, kicking off with a report out of New York on November 29. Paul Bissonnette, who is well-connected in the league, colourfully indicated recently on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast that Rangers GM Chris Drury is highly interested in Miller.
“I heard that Drury would do bad things to get J.T. Miller,” Bissonnette said. “I keep hearing that Rangers-J.T. Miller connection.”
As frustrating as this season has been for the Canucks, things have gone much worse for the Rangers. A Stanley Cup contender heading into the season, New York currently sits near the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 17-19-1 record. They’ve already traded captain Jacob Trouba and former second overall draft pick Kaapo Kakko.
And you know Canucks GM Patrik Allvin isn’t shy when it comes to making a trade.
CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal confirmed this morning that the two teams are talking, and it’s not limited to Miller.
“The Rangers and the Canucks are talking about a lot of things. Not just Miller,” Dhaliwal said on Sportsnet 650’s Halford and Brough show. “There’s pieces on both rosters both teams are interested in.”
The Canucks have been interested in forward Alexis Lafrenière and defenceman Braden Schneider for years, according to Dhaliwal.
“This regime likes those two players,” Dhaliwal said.
It’s easy to connect the dots between Lafrenière, the first overall draft pick in 2020, and the Canucks. His former agent is Canucks assistant general manager Émilie Castonguay.
The Kakko deal showed a willingness to trade a young player with high upside, though Lafrenière is more accomplished.
Coming off a career-best season, Lafrenière scored 28 goals and 57 points in 2023-24. The 23-year-old left winger has nine goals and 21 points in 37 games so far this season.
Schneider is a 23-year-old right-shot defenceman in his fourth NHL season. The 6-foot-4 blueliner would clearly fill a need with the Canucks, though he has been utilized as a third-pairing defenceman in New York this season.
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