NHL mock trade: Boston Bruins land J.T. Miller in exchange for $31,500,000 forward, and more

The Boston Bruins are reportedly interested in Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller, hockey reporter Marco D’Amico said. Per D’Amico, sources close to the sides have confirmed ongoing trade talks. However, no deal is imminent at this time.

The rumors have set off speculation about what a deal between Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks involving J.T. Miller could look like. While there is no indication of what the return for Miller could look like at the moment, the deal would likely include established roster players and a combination of picks heading Vancouver’s way.

According to The Hockey News, some rumored deals, such as one involving the New York Rangers, could represent a high price. The rumored deal to acquire Miller would involve sending back center Mika Zibanejad and defenseman K’Andre Miller.

As insider Elliotte Friedman pointed out, and the Hockey News confirmed, a package for Miller would need to involve a center going back, with potentially a prospect or draft picks sweetening the deal.

So, based on rumored trade packages, here’s what a deal between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks involving Miller could look like:

Boston gets:

• C J.T. Miller
• 2026 third-round pick

Vancouver gets:

• C Charlie Coyle
• D Brandon Carlo
• 2025 conditional first-round pick
• 2026 third-round pick

This mock trade fulfills the requirements laid out by Vancouver while allowing the Bruins to keep crucial parts of their roster, such as center Pavel Zacha and top blueliner Charlie McAvoy.

Analyzing the mock trade involving J.T. Miller

First, Charlie Coyle, who signed a six-year $31.5 million deal in Apr. 2021, allows the Canucks to get a serviceable top-six forward. Coyle can slot in as the second-line center behind Elias Pettersson while giving the Canucks flexibility to use him at wing if needed.

Additionally, Brandon Carlo can slot in alongside Quinn Hughes on the top pairing given Filip Hronek’s injury. When Hronek returns, Carlo can slide down into the second pairing, giving the Canucks a solid, top-four defenseman.

The first-round pick could be conditional in order to give the Bruins flexibility. Conditions may include provisions such as if the Bruins miss the playoffs this year, the pick becomes a 2026 first-rounder. However, if the Bruins make the playoffs, the pick remains a 2025 one.

Lastly, the exchange of third-round picks is something the Bruins may want to do to potentially incentivize the Canucks, but without losing the pick themselves. Giving up first and second-round picks may be too much for the Bruins to bear. So, swapping thirds could be an interesting throw-in.

There’s one caveat in this mock trade: No salary retention. In other words, the assumption is that the Bruins could be taking on J.T. Miller’s entire $8 million AAV. If the Canucks were to retain some of that salary, the price could become substantially higher.

But it’s worth keeping in mind that if Vancouver agrees to retain salary, the deal could cost more than one first-round pick, or may involve prospects instead of only draft picks.