The wait for a JT Miller trade is finally over. The Vancouver Canucks have dealt the veteran forward to the New York Rangers in exchange for Filip Chytil and a conditional first-round pick. Defenseman Erik Brannstrom and prospect Jack Dorrington also went to New York while defenseman Victor Mancini went to Vancouver.
This will be Miller’s second stint with the Rangers after spending the first six seasons of his NHL career with the franchise. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, only 12 players have tallied more than Miller’s 312 points. The 30-year-old forward will bring playmaking and scoring to the Rangers’ lineup, and the team needs a spark as it sits five point outside the final playoff spot in the East.
Miller is in the middle of a down year, notching just nine goals and 26 assists in 40 games. Perhaps a change of scenery can get him back to the 103-point heights we saw from him just last season.
By shedding Miller’s entire $8 million salary cap hit, which continues for the next five seasons, the Canucks will give themselves space to make another move. Vancouver also got some speed and skill for their middle-six in the form of Chytil, who has 164 points in 378 career games.
Keep track of the most notable trades throughout the 2024-25 NHL season right here.
Rangers acquire JT Miller from Canucks
The JT Miller soap opera in Vancouver has finally reached its end. The Canucks sent Miller, along with defenseman Erik Brannstrom and prospect Jack Dorrington, to the New York Rangers. Forward Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini and a conditional first-round pick went back to Vancouver.
Miller was a 100-point player just last season, and the Rangers have been missing some dynamic playmaking at the top of their lineup this year. Miller can bring that, but the big question is whether his disappointing start in 2024-25 was due to the drama between himself and Elias Pettersson. Either way, New York did get notably better with this deal.
The Canucks were able to free up a few million dollars in salary cap space while acquiring Chytil, who will bring some speed and skill in a depth forward role.
Flyers, Flames swap multiple players
This deal won’t get many headlines because there were no marquee names involved, but this is a very interesting player swap. Farabee, a two-time 20-goal scorer, has shown the ability to contribute offensively but seems to have hit a ceiling in Philadelphia. The same can be said for Frost, a former first-round pick who has 112 points in the last three seasons.
On the other side, Andrei Kuzmenko has a penchant for going on goal-scoring tears, but he has been rather inconsistent in that department. He will at least be able to give the Flyers more of a scoring touch. Pelletier, a first-round pick in his own right, has been unable to break through for a full-time role in Calgary.
Isles add D Scott Perunovich from Blues
The Islanders added some offensive skill to their depleted blue line by acquiring Scott Perunovich from the Blues. New York sent a conditional 2025 fifth-round pick back to St. Louis.
Hurricanes, Avalanche pull off blockbuster deal
The Avalanche were at a crossroads with Mikko Rantanen, a pending free agent, and they decided to ship him out and replace him with the cheaper Necas. Colorado does crate salary cap space with this deal, so Joe Sakic may have something else up his sleeve.
Carolina, already a Stanley Cup contender, only got that much better by acquiring one of the most prolific scorers in the game today. Combining Rantanen with the current Hurricanes roster and their dominant five-on-five game should be a winning combination.
In order to make the deal work, the Blackhawks will retain 50% of Rantanen’s salary, and they get a 2025 third-round pick from the Canes for that and Hall.
Avalanche add forward depth with Juuso Parssinen
The Avalanche, in need of some depth up front, have added Juuso Parssinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Predators in exchange for prospect Ondrej Pavel and a 2027 third-round pick. Parssinen has 44 points in 116 career NHL games.
Predators, Canadiens exchange defensemen
The Montreal Canadiens have acquired defenseman Alex Carrier, a Quebec native, from the Nashville Predators. Defenseman Justin Barron was sent to Nashville in return. Carrier, 28, will give the young Canadiens roster some stability on the back end, and the 23-year-old Barron will allow the Predators to get younger and cheaper, if not a little more volatile, on defense.
The Rangers sent forward Kaapo Kakko to the Kraken in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen and third-round and sixth-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft. Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has struggled to reach that potential at the NHL level. He had 61 goals and 70 assists in 330 carer games with the Rangers.
The Blues needed some reinforcements on the blue line, which is dealing with injuries to Torey Krug and Nick Leddy, so they added Cam Fowler from the Ducks. Fowler, now in his 16th NHL season, will bring experience and offense to the St. Louis.
The Ducks also send a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Blues in exchange for defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick.
Avalanche land Blackwood from Sharks in goalie swap
The Colorado Avalanche decided that it was time to make a change at goaltender. The team acquired Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Givani Smith and a 2027 fifth-round pick from the Sharks in exchange for goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Georgiev had been the Avalanche’s starting netminder since the 2022 offseason when the team acquired his services from the Rangers. In 18 games this season, the veteran put together an 8-7-0 record to go along with a 3.38 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage.
Meanwhile, Blackwood has racked up a 6-9-3 record, a 3.00 goals-against average, and a .910 save percentage in 19 games this season. However, Blackwood has been playing much better hockey as of late with a 2.66 goals-against average over his last three games.
Rangers deal Trouba to Ducks for prospect, pick
After months of trade rumors surrounding Trouba, the Rangers finally traded him to the Anaheim Ducks for Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Trouba had been struggling this season, posting poor five-on-five numbers in the midst of an ugly losing streak.
The Ducks will get a veteran leader on their blue line, and the Rangers shed Trouba’s $8 million cap hit while getting a young prospect in Vaakanainen and some extra draft capital.
David Jiricek, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, failed to really carve out a role for himself in Columbus. When the Blue Jackets put him on the trade block, the Minnesota Wild ponied up with a big offer.
The Wild sent defenseman Daemon Hunt, a 2025 first-round pick, 2026 third-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick, and 2027 second-round pick to the Jackets as compensation. That’s a big price to pay for an unproven defenseman, but it could be a worthwhile gamble, given Jiricek’s pedigree and AHL performance.
Tomasino was a first-round pick by Nashville in 2019, but he struggled to remain in the lineup on a nightly basis. The Penguins chose to take a shot on the young winger, hoping he could reach his potential and help the team remain in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Predators received a fourth-round pick in return for Tomasino, who had 23 goals and 71 points in 159 games with the franchise.
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