The Vancouver Canucks have traded center J.T. Miller, defenseman Erik Brannstrom, and defenseman Jackson Dorrington to the New York Rangers for center Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini, and a top-13 protected 2025 first-round pick.

The Rangers receive:

Miller, a onetime Ranger who will turn 32 years old in March and has a cap hit of $8 million for five more seasons after this one. Power forward Miller was a 100-point scorer last season, although he is projected to finish well below that total this season. His differences with Elias Pettersson have been well-chronicled, with the Canucks' decision to trade him recently expedited after several years of the team trying to manage the issues between the two star centers. Miller is the obvious main piece of this trade, and he should easily slot into the Rangers' top 6 and top power play.

Brannstrom, who is an NHL/AHL tweener at the moment. Since the Rangers do not have any blueline injuries and did not give up an NHL defenseman in this trade, Brannstrom could find himself in the AHL again.

Dorrington, a 2022 sixth-round pick of the Canucks who has been playing for Northeastern University.

The Canucks receive:

Chytil, a 25-year-old center who showed some promise with a 22-goal, 45-point season two seasons ago. However, his career has been stalled by injuries, particularly multiple concussions. Remaining healthy will be a key for him to reach his upside, but he should receive considerable opportunities with the Canucks as the key piece in the Miller return. Look for him to at least receive auditions as the second-line center and on the top power play.  

Mancini, a 2022 fifth-round pick, has played 15 games for the Rangers while spending most of the season in the AHL. The Canucks have had issues on the right side of their defense, so he should receive an NHL opportunity at some point.

Analysis:

The Rangers already have Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad up the middle. So two possibilities could occur: 1) Miller is moved to the wing to allow Trocheck and Zibanejad to remain as the top two centers, or 2) Miller is kept at his natural center position. The first option could bump Chris Kreider or Reilly Smith into a third-line role, while the second option could bump Zibanejad into a third-line role with more defensive responsibilities. One of these players could see his value drop even further than it has this season, depending on where Miller lands in the Rangers' lineup. Miller may also bump Zibanejad or Kreider from the top power play.

Now that the deal is done, Miller will no longer have to deal with the constant trade rumors and internal struggles and can focus on hockey again. That alone could help his production.

With Miller finally traded, Pettersson now has the weight of the world on him to produce. Like Miller, Pettersson also has a 100-point season on his resume. However, Pettersson has underperformed relative to his expectations and related $11.6 million cap hit, as he is currently on a 60-point pace with struggles dating back to last season (6 points in 13 playoff games last season). Will the departure of the boisterous, in-your-face Miller be what helps the reserved, mild-mannered Pettersson get his game back on track? The possibility of the Canucks trading Pettersson cannot be ruled out either.

Conor Garland and Jake DeBrusk have been taking turns as the fourth forward on the Canucks' top power play all season. Miller's departure should ensure both play on the top power play, at least in the short term.

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Players this helps, in order:

Pettersson

Miller

Chytil

DeBrusk

Garland

Pius Suter

Players this hurts, in order:

Zibanejad

Kreider

Smith

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Discuss the trade in this thread on the Forum.