NHL trade rumors: Insider sheds light on potential Vancouver Canucks trade for both J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson

NHL insider Darren Dreger shared insights on potential Vancouver Canucks trades involving J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. Speaking on TSN's Insider Trading on Tuesday, he emphasized that Vancouver is not interested in low offers.

"Yeah, not interested in the lowball offer. It has to be respectable. I mean, you talked about two star-quality players here, JT Miller and Elias Pettersson," Dreger said.

Dreger said that the Canucks have been discussing trade options for months. Management and the coaching staff held meetings with Miller and Pettersson to resolve internal concerns, but no clear resolution was found. As a result, Vancouver is now working to set up a trade. However, the team will only proceed if the return is respectable.

"And you know, this ongoing scenario, trying to trade both those guys or one of those men, has been ongoing for the last couple of months."

The team is particularly cautious about Miller’s situation because of his no-move clause. Dreger noted that if the offers are not good enough, Vancouver is prepared to carry discussions into the summer. The organization also values Pettersson’s talent and will not engage in a rushed trade.

"So no fire selling in Vancouver," Dreger concluded.

The Canucks now face a tough decision on whether to trade these players and for what return.

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Canucks President Jim Rutherford on the team’s tension

The Canucks' performance is being affected due to tension between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. President Jim Rutherford said past efforts to fix their issues have not lasted. He claimed a trade might be needed, though he would rather keep both players.

“I felt like, for a long time, that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved,” Rutherford said (via NHL.com). “But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again, and so it certainly appears like there’s not a good solution that would keep this group together.”

Rutherford also said if a full rebuild happens, even captain Quinn Hughes could be moved, however, the team wants him to stay. Recent reports linked Miller to the Rangers and both players to the Hurricanes, but nothing official.

Rutherford said rushing a trade could lead to mistakes.

“We don’t know,” Rutherford added. “We’ll just have to wait to find out. We’ll have to take it a step at a time. If we try and do it too fast, that’s really when you can make some mistakes.”

Vancouver, last season’s Pacific Division winner, is now outside the playoff picture. Miller signed a seven-year contract in 2022, while Pettersson signed an eight-year deal in March 2024. However, both players have struggled this season, especially Pettersson who is fifth in cap hit but has only 31 points.