Elliotte Friedman claims J.T. Miller's potential blockbuster trade to NY Rangers "a bit more complicated" than public reports

Elliotte Friedman believes the trade involving J.T. Miller and the New York Rangers is more complicated than what has been publicly reported.

Miller is an important player for the Canucks. Last season, he scored a career-high 103 points, including 37 goals and 67 assists.

On Sportsnet's Kyper and Bourne, Elliotte Friedman said,

"I think they're going to keep looking at it. You know, the Rangers thing, I don't know where that stands right now. I've had some people say to me that one was a bit more complicated than has been reported publicly, even by myself, on why that one got turned down. So I'm still trying to get to the bottom of that one."

This season, J.T. Miller has 33 points in 38 games, with eight goals and 25 assists. Miller’s contributions have been crucial in the Canucks' wins, with five goals and 12 assists in their 16 victories. Even in losses, he has managed to stay productive, with three goals and 13 assists.

However, despite J.T. Miller's contributions, the Canucks are exploring the market due to his rumored rift with Elias Pettersson, which has supposedly impacted the team's performance. The rift rumors surfaced in October and the subsequent 10-game leave of absence intensified it.

Friedman believes other teams are interested in J.T. Miller and Pettersson

The Vancouver Canucks are still exploring trade options for J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. According to Friedman, recent trades like the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche deal involving Mikko Rantanen and Martin Necas might affect Vancouver’s plans.

Friedman believes Carolina may have offered the best trade for Pettersson but added that discussions with other teams are ongoing.

"I still think there are teams that are interested in Miller, I still think there are teams that are interested in Pettersson," Friedman said. "I still think the conducts are investigating all of this, but I do think their best trade, probably for Pettersson was with Carolina, at least with what Carolina had on the table. But I still do think that teams continue to talk to them, and Vancouver continues to talk so I kind of got to figure out where we are right now here."

Over his NHL career, Miller has played 837 games, scoring 246 goals and 426 assists for a total of 672 points. He averages 17:28 of ice time per game and is an attractive trade option for teams before the trade deadline on March 7.