New York Rangers Daily: J.T. Miller trade fallout; Canucks add another Pettersson

NHL: New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres
Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Well, to say it’s a new day for the New York Rangers is an understatement. After months of back and forth with the Vancouver Canucks, the Rangers finally landed J.T, Miller in a trade Friday night to alter the look of their roster on and off the ice.

On the ice, the Rangers now are as deep as any team down the middle, with Miller, Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck in whatever order you wish to place them. Miller also brings bite and a physical style to the forward group, along with 100-point skill. The Rangers certainly hope that he can help bring them into the fight, as the saying goes.

Miller joins Trocheck as one of the better face-off men in the League. And he can play on the wing, too.

Off the ice, Miller can be a bit rough around the edges. But for a team considered too vanilla with their core, he appears to be the right add. Miller and Trocheck are good friends from their days growing up in the Pittsburgh area and could quickly form a strong 1-2 leadership punch. Plus, he should adapt quickly to New York, having played his first six NHL seasons with the Rangers, who selected him in the first round (No. 15 overall) of the 2011 draft.

Of course, nothing is perfect. Miller is not always the most diligent defensive player — which, unfortunately, can be said about many on the current Rangers roster. His offensive game is typically very good, not always elite. He also took a 10-game leave of absence for personal reasons earlier this season, and his poor relationship with star center Elias Pettersson led to his trade back to New York. Also, he turns 32 on March 14, and is signed at $8 million annually through 2029-30.

All in all, this feels like a trade the Rangers had to make. Right player, right time. The cost of Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a protected first-round pick in this year’s draft does not feel excessive. The Rangers received the best player in the trade, and the type of player and personality they likely needed to jolt their core.

Miller’s expected in the lineup Saturday, when the Rangers visit the Bruins, the first of five games in eight days before the 4 Nations Face-off break. Let’s see if he can become the difference for a team that’s five points out of the second wild card in the East.

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New York Rangers news

NHL: Vancouver Canucks at Nashville Predators
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We will have plenty of J.T. Miller trade analysis, reaction and features here at Forever Blueshirts. But, for now, let’s start with our expanded Rangers trade story from last night.

With Miller expected in the lineup against the Bruins, you know what one of our three keys is for the Rangers matinee Saturday.

Earlier on Friday, Tom Castro reported on the Columbus Blue Jackets’ interest in acquiring Pettersson from the Canucks and how that could affect the Rangers.

The Rangers added another big contract with Miller, but the latest salary-cap news announced by the NHL on Friday certainly makes it easier to absorb it over the next several seasons.

We updated our breakdown of what the Rangers and their Eastern Conference rivals could do ahead of the March 7 trade deadline.

Speaking of trades, Jimmy Vesey sounded like he’s in need of one after saying he is “dying” with the Rangers, set to be a healthy scratch Saturday for the 10th consecutive game.

In case you missed it, it appears Arthur Kaliyev will be a healthy scratch against the Bruins on Saturday.

NHL news

NHL: Utah at Pittsburgh Penguins
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The Canucks weren’t done dealing after trading Miller to the Rangers. They acquired pending UFA defenseman Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a multi-player deal.

More Canucks: Star defenseman and captain Quinn Hughes is dealing with an apparent lower-body issue, which was evident in their 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars.

If teams were interested in trading for Yanni Gourde ahead of the deadline, those hopes likely are dashed now. The Seattle Kraken center is out 5-7 weeks following sports hernia surgery.

The Islanders aren’t done picking up defensemen off the scrap heap to fill major holes caused by injury. The latest is Adam Boqvist, claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Friday. He joins recently signed free agent Tony DeAngelo and Scott Perunovich, who arrived in a trade with the St. Louis Blues.

A day after he had his contract bought out by the Blues, two-time Stanley Cup champion Brandon Saad signed a one-year $1.5 million pro-rated deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Logan Cooley is out indefinitely for the Utah Hockey Club with a lower-body injury.

The Blue Jackets erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to defeat Utah 3-2 in overtime.

Watch Zach Werenski’s OT winner for the Blue Jackets.

Jiri Kulich scored twice for the Buffalo Sabres in a 4-3 win against the Nashville Predators.

Mackenzie Blackwood of the Colorado Avalanche made 19 saves for his second shutout of the season, a 5-0 win against the Blues in Denver.

Jim Cerny is Executive Editor at Forever Blueshirts and Managing Editor at Sportsnaut, with more than 30 years of ... More about Jim Cerny

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