Leafs' Gilman spotted scouting Canucks players ahead of trade deadline
With less than three weeks to go before the March 21 trade deadline, an old friend was reportedly keeping a keen eye on the Vancouver Canucks.
Former Canucks executive Laurence Gilman, now an assistant general manager with the Toronto Maple Leafs, scouted a pair of games in the New York City area this week.
Gilman was spotted at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday and the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Monday, according to a report from TSN’s Pierre LeBrun on Insider Trading.
“We’re told he was there largely to watch J.T. Miller, among a few other players,” LeBrun said.
This edition of Insider Trading:
š What's going to happen with the CHL Draft?
š Are the Leafs in the market for a Canucks forward?
š What deadline moves could the Rangers make?
š Any chance Kane or Toews get moved from Chicago?@reporterchris @PierreVLeBrun @DarrenDreger pic.twitter.com/U4iPWKxjVM— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 4, 2022
It’s been nine days since Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first set both the Canucks and Leafs fan bases ablaze with the idea that Miller could be Toronto-bound. Leafs GM Kyle Dubas told reporters today that the focus for his club is to add a defenceman, according to David Alter of The Leafs Nation, rather than a forward.
LeBrun said the Leafs are one of many teams that have “kicked tires” with the Canucks on possible trades, but he didn’t think anything was imminent.
Numerous reports in recent days, including from LeBrun, have stated that the Canucks haven’t been blown away with the offers for Miller, and are quite willing to keep their leading scorer.
Miller, who turns 29 next month, has 179 points in 176 games for the Canucks since being traded to Vancouver in 2019. He has 61 points in 54 games so far this season, and is under contract until the end of next season, carrying just a $5.25 million cap hit.
LeBrun’s TSN colleague Chris Johnston is reporting that Brock Boeser and/or Conor Garland may be more likely to move than Miller and that their asking prices are “more modest.”
While the new Canucks management team has repeatedly said they want to clear cap space, Johnston added that Vancouver is looking for players, not just draft picks, in return.
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