NHL trade rumors: Elliotte Friedman claims Vancouver Canucks have 'not shut off' conference rivals' trade interest in $92.8M forward, J.T. Miller

On Sportsnet's "Saturday Headlines," NHL insider Elliotte Friedman claimed that the Vancouver Canucks have not shut down trade interest from Western Conference teams. Friedman mentioned that franchises in the West have reached out about Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.

Both Pettersson and Miller are key players for the Canucks. Pettersson is signed to a big contract worth $92.8 million over eight years. Miller’s deal is for seven years at $56 million. Vancouver is willing to listen to offers from teams in the Western Conference. This could mean it is considering changes to its roster.

"A lot of noise around the Canucks basically," Friedman said. "The Canucks have indicated with both Pettersson and Miller is they're not shutting off interest from the Western Conference. Teams from the west who have reached out have not been told no - that they would be unwilling to deal any particular player to any of those destinations."

Vancouver’s openness to trade talks shows it is keeping its options open. The team may look to improve its squad by trading key players. While it is unclear if it will trade Pettersson or Miller, it is at least willing to hear what other teams have to offer.

Elias Pettersson shines in Canucks' 3-0 win against Maple Leafs

Vancouver won 3-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves for a shutout. Coach Rick Tocchet praised Elias Pettersson, who had an assist on Brock Boeser’s goal and also blocked five shots in 16:08.

"It was one of Petety’s best games of the year," Tocchet said. "I thought he was terrific, blocked shots that won at the end there, [...] hit, they had a back door play that was a hot high hockey IQ. Petty, he didn't press forward. He went back. He saw that that was going to happen.

"Yeah, he was right. That line was really good. Every line was great, but yeah, Petey was excellent today."

Brock Boeser gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead 31 seconds into the game after redirecting a Tyler Myers shot. Lankinen made a big save on John Tavares' breakaway in the first period to keep the lead.

Quinn Hughes scored a second goal for Vancouver at 18:12 of the second period. His shot was deflected into the net by Simon Benoit.

Kiefer Sherwood extended the lead to 3-0 in the third period after taking a pass from Hughes and scoring. Vancouver outworked Toronto and kept up the pressure, ending a four-game losing skid in the process.