VANCOUVER — J.T. Miller's tumultuous time in Vancouver has come to an end, with the Canucks dealing the star centre to the New York Rangers.
The Canucks announced late Friday that Miller had been traded to the Rangers along with blueliner Erik Brannstrom and defensive prospect Jackson Dorrington.
In exchange, New York sent centre Filip Chytil, defenceman Victor Mancini and a conditional first-round draft pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft to Vancouver.
Miller was held out of the Canucks' 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Friday night.
“On behalf of the entire Canucks organization I want to thank J.T. for his time here in Vancouver,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement. "J.T. was a passionate impact player and good leader for our hockey team. Moving him was not an easy decision but we are pleased with our return from the Rangers.
"Both Filip and Victor are good additions for our club and we are excited to see what they bring to us on the ice.”
The move came days after Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford confirmed a long-rumoured rift between Miller and fellow centre Elias Pettersson. In an interview with the Globe and Mail, Rutherford said he didn't see a way to keep the roster together amid the spat.
The story did not detail what the issue was between the two players, but Rutherford said the drama had impacted the entire team.
Later Friday, the Canucks acquired defenceman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O'Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Vancouver gave up forward Danton Heinen, defenceman Vincent Desharnais, the rights to forward Melvin Fernstrom and the conditional pick acquired from the Rangers.
Pettersson, 28, has appeared in 47 games for Pittsburgh this season, recording 18 points (3-15-18) and 25 penalty minutes.
It has been a difficult season for both the Canucks (23-18-10) and the 31-year-old Miller, who stepped away from the team in November for personal reasons and missed 10 games.
He has nine goals and 26 assists for 34 points in 40 appearances across the 2024-25 campaign.
The six-foot-one 218-pound forward from East Palestine, Ohio, had career highs in both goals (37) and points (103) last season. He added three goals and nine assists in 13 playoff appearances before Vancouver was eliminated in the second round.
Crowds at Rogers Arena regularly chanted "J-T Mill-er!" when he scored. Asked after a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 18 what his time in Vancouver meant to him, Miller said he was simply focused on playing.
"I'm planning on being a Canuck today, tomorrow. Whatever happens, happens," he said. "I'm focused on the next game.”
Miller contributed two assists in the win.
“There's been a lot of noise, but, I’ve been here two and a half years, he's played a lot of good hockey for me. He was outstanding tonight," Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said after that game. "So we’re just going to march along."
Miller was picked 15th overall by the Rangers in the 2011 draft and played parts of six seasons for New York before he was dealt to Tampa Bay in February 2018.
The Lightning dealt him to the Canucks at the 2019 draft and he signed a seven-year, US$56-million extension with Vancouver in September 2022.
An all-star last year, Miller has recorded 674 points over 839 regular-season appearances.
The 25-year-old Chytil comes to Vancouver after putting up 11 goals and nine assists in 41 games for New York this season.
The Rangers picked the six-foot-two 210-pound forward from Kromeriz, Czechia, in the first round (21st overall) of the 2017 draft.
He's played parts of eight seasons for New York, registering 75 goals and 89 assists across 378 regular-season games.
Mancini, 22, has appeared in 15 games for the Rangers this season, contributing one goal and four assists. He had 10 points (3-7) over 23 games with AHL Hartford.
The Rangers selected the six-foot-two 229-pound blueliner from Hancock, Mich., with the 159th overall pick n the 2022 draft.
Brannstrom, 25, had eight points (3-5) in 28 games for the Canucks this season. He had 12 points (2-10) in eight games for AHL Abbotsford.
Dorrington, 20, has 10 points (2-8) in 23 games at Northeastern University this season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2025.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
