January 31st, 2025
Alex Rickman
It’s happened. For real this time. Seriously.
The Canucks have traded JT Miller, along with Erik Brännström and prospect Jackson Dorrington, to the New York Rangers in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a top-13 protected 2025 first-round pick. Much of the initial reaction from the fanbase has been negative, but is this negativity correct, or could this deal turn into a positive for Vancouver?
Firstly, let’s take a look at what the Canucks have brought back. In Filip Chytil, the Canucks are taking a chance on a player with a troublesome injury history, but who has also shown himself to be a very capable middle-six centre with the potential to unlock more when he can stay healthy. As a Canuck, Chytil will be given a chance to show what he’s capable of in a top-six centre and could prove himself to be a worthwhile piece in the Canucks lineup going forward. Does he have the upside of a piece like Alexis Lafreniere or Braden Schneider? Definitely not. But should Canucks fans look at Chytil and be acting like they’ve just traded for Nail Yakupov? Definitely not.
As for Victor Mancini, I won’t pretend to be an expert on his game, but he does offer the Canucks an intriguing profile. The 22-year-old blueliner from Hancock, Michigan’s 6’3, 220 lb frame is obviously enticing. Beyond that, Mancini has been known as a physical and intelligent stay-at-home defenceman in the minor leagues, who could develop into a player who fits the Canucks needs on the backend well. As for the draft pick acquired, the Canucks will receive the Rangers 2025 first, unless it falls in the top 13 picks of the draft, at which point the Canucks will receive the Rangers 2026 first instead.
But what are the Canucks losing? JT Miller obviously needs no explanation, but I’ll give him one anyway. On his day, JT Miller can be one of the most electric players in the NHL and can be the emotional heartbeat of a team with his high motor and vocal leadership. However, amid ongoing drama in the locker room, Miller was not performing up to his standard this year and will hope that a change of scenery allows him to play up to his potential in the Big Apple. Treat him well New York, you’re getting a good one. JT Miller was my favourite Canuck, so it definitely hurts to see him go, but if the front office saw it necessary, I can absolutely understand the move.
Erik Brännström is a player I wish the Canucks had given a bigger chance to prove himself, but that just wasn’t proving to be the case. After ending up in Rick Tocchet’s doghouse, it became clear that Brännström was not going to be getting more minutes in Vancouver barring any extremely unforeseen circumstances. Hopefully, the Rangers give him a chance to prove himself, as the man known to some as the Brannchise has shown he has the tools to be a difference-maker on the backend. The Rangers also acquired Jackson Dorrington, a young defenceman currently plying his trade at Northeastern University.
So what can we make of this deal? In terms of the raw assets being moved, it’s hard to call this deal a win for Vancouver. Miller is clearly the best piece on the move here, even if his season has been lacklustre so far, and replacing his role and production will now be an interesting challenge for the Canucks front office to undertake. With that being said, however, I’m not mad about this deal. It was clear that the Canucks needed to make a move to save the locker room, and that they had virtually zero leverage with what was already out there about the rift between Miller and Pettersson. For the Canucks to then be able to pull the trigger on a deal to land two interesting young pieces and a first-round pick without having to retain any salary is not bad, even if the Rangers appear to have gotten the better side of the deal.
The interesting part of this deal is not necessarily in what already happened, but what may come next. We know that Elias Pettersson’s name has still been out there in trade talks, and even with Miller gone, his name might not be taken off the market right away. I would anticipate that Vancouver will give Pettersson some time to prove that he can be the guy the Canucks need him to be, and if by the deadline or end of the regular season the front office remains unconvinced, he could still be moved. Let’s see where this goes, but this saga may not be over just yet.
We could also be in for a deal involving the pick the Canucks have acquired between now and deadline day. When the Canucks got a first from the New York Islanders in the Bo Horvat deal, they turned around and sent that pick to Detroit as part of the deal that brought Filip Hronek to BC. Time will tell what the Canucks do with this pick, along with the expiring contracts of Brock Boeser, Pius Suter, and Kevin Lankinen (Hi Trevor!) between now and the deadline, but right now, anything is possible.
At the end of the day, this might be a tough pill for fans to swallow but may prove to be a necessary evil in time. Millsy will be sorely missed, but if this is thought to be needed to get the team where it needs to be ahead of next season and into the future, then it’s for the best. Now let’s just hope that Filip Chytil can stay healthy, Victor Mancini can reach his full potential, and that the Rangers first can be used to get something to keep making this team better.