We're getting to the new year, which means new rumors. According to Josh Yohe of the Athletic, the New York Rangers offered a straight swap of forwards to the Vancouver Canucks, J.T. Miller for Mika Zibanejad, and the Canucks declined. This has led to an array of emotions coming from the Rangers fanbase, and they're describing a franchise that is desperate for a change of voices in that locker room. Let's take a deeper look at why this is.
Miller and Zibanejad both make around $8 million a year, so the cap hits offset, making this move feasible. Both are great centers when they're at their best, and both have external factors currently chipping away at their value. Mika has been underperforming, while Miller's notorious locker room issues force the room apart in Vancouver. This deal made sense in a vacuum for both sides, but there is reason to believe this was flawed from the start.
Both players have full no-movement clauses, and while Miller is reportedly open to returning to New York, most players don't want to go to Canada if they have a choice. This means Zibanejad is always likely to enforce his NMC to stay in New York, as is his contractual right. While Drury's intent was right, this had major potholes throughout the deal as the Rangers considered this offer.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has said the Canucks want a center back in a trade for either of their feuding forwards, but Zibanejad alone isn't going to get this done. It leads to the obvious question; how much more would need to be added to sway the Canucks? Is the problem Zibanejad himself, which would essentially blow up the entire deal? We don't have the answers, but we'll get answers in the next 60 days ahead of the March 8 trade deadline.