Some News On Vancouver Canucks’ J.T. Miller
Donnie and Dhali: This is the latest on J.T. Miller from the Miller side of the equation.
“The Miller camp is aware of the trade rumours surrounding J.T. but rumours of him wanting out of Vancouver are not true.”
As expected, Miller does not want out of Vancouver at all. It will come down to Vancouver and what they ultimately want to do.
More on Conor Garland and those trade rumors…
Harman Dayal of The Athletic: As speculation begins to swirl on a variety of players, Conor Garland is again one of them. One has to understand that Vancouver is in a precarious position salary-cap wise (mostly their doing). With new management in place, if Vancouver drifts further out of playoff position, the moves become more likely.
It does appear Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat are not on the trade market as of now. Garland had been a rumor to the New Jersey Devils for at least a year, maybe two. Honestly, it would surprise most pundits less if it actually happened this time. There were several instances where the forward was almost traded from Arizona as well.
The latest on Jaroslav Halak…
Rob Simpson of Vancouver Hockey NOW: A long-standing rumor is that the Vancouver Canucks always wanted to ship Jaroslav Halak come the trade deadline. It boils down to dead bonus money as well (maybe $1.5 million or so) and if Halak will approve a trade.
Halak has not been given much in the way of playing time this season and little goal support as well. His 2-4-2 record with .918 save percentage indicates he has something left in the tank. The goaltender has played just five times in the last 2 1/2 months. It is another case where Vancouver (like with Miller) may have to take a step back to move forward.
Vancouver has some of the strongest goaltending in the West but at some point may have to consider gaining asset(s) for Halak. That is the reality.