Elliotte Friedman names New Jersey Devils and $1.25 billion NHL franchise as 'good fit' for Canucks' J.T. Miller amid ongoing trade drama

A swap involving Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller and New York Rangers veteran Alexis Lafreniere may not have gone through over the weekend, but NHL insider Elliotte Friedman had more to say about the ongoing trade saga.

After reporting on Saturday that the deal with the Rangers collapsed at the last moment, Friedman further explored the dynamics of potential trades involving other franchises during Monday's episode of "32 Thoughts: The Podcast," which he co-hosts with Kyle Bukauskas.

While saying that the Rangers’ interest in Miller had cooled down over the weekend, he also gave his opinion on other franchises that might be interested, including the Carolina Hurricanes, which is worth $1.25 billion (per Forbes).

"I think Miller's a good fit for the Devils, who aren't, you know, the biggest, toughest team in the league,” Friedman said.

“But again, you're doing major surgery (on) your roster, if you're bringing him in there. And I think they're good, like I do, think they're really good. So I'm not convinced it's the Devils. There have been some reports about Dallas. I'm not convinced it's them, either. I think there's somebody out there right now. We're just not seeing (it) yet. One team I do wonder about is Carolina. That's a team that makes some sense to me. Don't know for sure, but it makes sense to me."

Friedman also talked about the drama surrounding Miller on Friday and Saturday, saying that he had heard that he had asked to leave the Canucks.

"I'd heard that Miller had asked for a trade, had finally said, 'Just get me out of here,'" Friedman said. "I think as a couple people just said to me, like, everybody knows what's going on here, and they're just they're trying to work to get something done, but a specific trade request that was denied to me by several people."

Miller had two assists in Saturday's 3-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers. Speaking to the media after the game, he said he was “planning on being a Canuck today, tomorrow."

Canucks want Alexis Lafreniere and Braden Schneider for J.T. Miller: Reports

On Saturday, New York Post's Larry Brooks wrote in his column that the Vancouver Canucks were looking to trade Alexis Lafreniere and Braden Schneider for J.T. Miller.

“The noise about Miller and the Rangers, with whom the 15th overall selection of the 2011 draft spent the first five-plus seasons of his career, will spike," Brooks wrote. "Candidates to go the other way will be named. Alexis Lafreniere would be one, Branden Schneider would be the other.”

The Canucks' next game is against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.