J.T. Miller and the New York Rangers have been on a seemingly inevitable collision course. We know that the Blueshirts adore the former New York draft pick, and rumors suggest New York might be one of the few places that Miller would be willing to waive his no-movement clause to go. It's a Ross and Rachel "will they/won't they" story arch that seems destined to have a reunion between the Rangers and the East Palestine, Ohio native.
We got a report yesterday from Josh Yohe of the Athletic that suggested the Rangers offered Mika Zibanejad for Miller, but talks broke down. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has shed some light on the situation in his recent 32 Thoughts Blog, claiming that the Rangers offered more than just Zibanejad to get the deal done. Still, the Canucks wanted Braden Schneider in the deal, and New York did not want to move the right-shot defenseman.
So, if the Rangers' unwillingness to move on from Schneider was the straw that broke the camel's back, it seems inevitable that this deal will be done at some point. Vancouver has to move one of its two star centermen after a feud between them spread across the organization. Miller is older, cheaper, and the one on the outside, so he's the more likely one to move, but his no-movement clause could cause issues for the Canucks.
Zibanejad also has a no-movement clause, and Friedman reports that Mika was never approached during the initial talks. Hence, the deal never got so close that the teams had to convince the players involved to waive their trade protection. This is a situation where the Blueshirts can still land the player, but the negotiations are on-going, and the Canucks will have to lower their asking price if Miller refuses to waive his NMC to go elsewhere.