Boston Bruins Labeled The Dark Horse To Land The Top Trade Target At The NHL's Trade Deadline
The Boston Bruins could yet again find themselves looking to Vancouver as they're one of the teams who could quietly steal JT Miller away from the Canucks.
At the moment the Vancouver Canucks were thought to be contenders during the 2024-2025 season. After they made it to the playoffs, there was hope they'd find a way to return there but they failed to do so, which led them down a dark road of potentially being sellers.
The Bruins have taken from the Canucks once before, as they signed Nikita Zadarov, and Elias Lindholm during the offseason.
According to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli, it looks as if the Bruins could plunder Vancouver again for center J.T. Miller.
«I haven't heard a lot of people talking about the Boston Bruins, and their need for a top-end center has been well-documented,» Seravalli said. «We've also heard Cam Neely, their President of Hockey Operations, hint at the idea that, 'hey, we might have to rejig some things here based on the way that this season has played out.'»
Despite the addition of Elias Lindholm, the Bruins have yet to find a center group that could win the team a Stanley Cup.
As of right now, down the middle, they have Pavel Zacha, Matthew Poitras, Elias Lindholm, and John Beecher.
An upgrade is needed, and J.T. Miller could be the solution for a team depending on players who'd likely be 2C and 3C elsewhere.
«I do believe that the Boston Bruins have kept very close tabs on the Miller situation with the Vancouver Canucks,» said Seravalli. «I would term them as a team lurking in the weeds right now to try and monitor those prices, and wouldn't be surprised if this continues to linger on closer to the March 7 deadline. Even as much as Vancouver seems motivated and Miller seems ready to go, they're a team that could remain in the mix.»
The obstacle(s) to sealing the deal between the two would be salary cap space, as the Canucks don't want to retain anything.
The Bruins would have to move roster players to fit Miller's $8 million underneath their cap, and Miller could be the start of a retool for the team.
The team will have to convince Miller to waive his NMC, and that shouldn't be a challenge as it's well known that he wants to return to theEastern Conference, but Miller's given no specifics regarding which team he likes the most.
This season he's scored 33 points in 37 games for the Canucks, and in the last three seasons scored no less than 80 points: 99, 82, and 103 consecutively in Vancouver.
GM Don Sweeney and President Cam Neely will have to be bold to finalize a deal like this. Maybe they should give it a shot at the least.
