Vancouver Canucks targeting specific return in potential Pettersson/Miller trades
The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly testing the trade market for both Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller, and they have a specific return in mind.
In a story that just won’t die for the Canucks, it appears the apparent rift between Pettersson and Miller has reached a point where GM Patrick Allvin is considering all of his options with both players, including potentially trading one or both of them.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman revealed more insider information on the situation during the latest Saturday Headlines segment, confirming that the Canucks are testing the market and that they have an idea of what they may want in return.
“I think if the Canucks do make a trade, they’re gonna need a centre in return,” Friedman reported.
“I know Canucks fans are concerned about the defence with [Quinn] Hughes and [Filip] Hronek injured, but I believe the team has prioritized centre in return more than the blueline because they’d be trading a centre if one or both was to go.”
First Saturday Headlines of 2025 from @FriedgeHNIC! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/mUwhOChT1M
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 5, 2025
This shouldn’t be too shocking as the hole left by trading one or both of Miller and Pettersson would be much bigger than any current deficiency on the blue line. It would leave the Canucks without one or both of their top-six centres, arguably two of the most important positions on any NHL team.
While the blueline could use an upgrade, the team is expected to get Hughes and Hronek back from injury at some point this season, which will significantly help that group.
A trade is not guaranteed to happen. There have been sporadic reports on social media lately saying that Pettersson and Miller have demanded trades out of Vancouver, but Friedman was able to pour some cold water on that.
“There have been some reports that maybe someone in Vancouver has asked for a trade, I can find no proof of that at this time,” Friedman said.
Another tidbit of info provided by Friedman was that he believes that if Miller were to be traded by the Canucks, it would likely be to an American team rather than a Canadian team. The New York Rangers were mentioned in the segment with the names Mika Zibanejad and K’Andre Miller being thrown around, but Friedman seemed less convinced about that idea.
“I just think that if Vancouver wanted to do that, they could have done that already,” Friedman said.
It’s certainly not the type of story that Canucks fans were hoping to hear to start the new year and it’s only going to get louder with the NHL trade deadline just a few months away.