Is J.T. Miller The Missing Piece In Carolina?

For years now, the Carolina Hurricanes have consistently been one of the NHL’s top teams.

But despite the regular season success they’ve enjoyed, the Canes just haven’t been able to get over the hump, experiencing playoff disappointment year after year.

While blame can be spread around to a multitude of issues, the number one glaring hole for the team has continually been the lack of a second true, top-six centerman.

Could J.T. Miller be the answer?

Rumors have been swirling out of Vancouver for months now that the Canucks are looking to move Miller due to his supposed falling out with fellow center Elias Pettersson and many insiders have linked Carolina as one of the teams heavily involved in potential trade talks.

The Hurricanes, who were also involved in trade talks around Pettersson last season, are a team that has been around almost every major trade in the NHL over the past few years and it seems this is no different.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Carolina is “active, ready to pounce.”

They have a deep prospect pool, a full slate of picks and with an established core, they’re ready to get that final piece to push them over the edge.

Miller: The Player

There aren’t many players in the NHL who have a 100+ point season under their belts and Miller is one of them.

The 6-foot-1 center had a career year last season with 37 goals and 103 points and since he came to Vancouver, he’s registered 151 goals and 434 points in 400 games.

Miller has scored 20+ goals seven times and has broken the 30-goal mark in three straight seasons on a career 14.8% shooting percentage.

But beyond the scoring, the high-motor forward is also a high-end passer with elite vision.

Even past the ability to put the puck into the net, Miller is also a strong, two-way power forward, who earned Selke votes in four of the past six seasons.

Miller is a competitive power forward who isn’t afraid to go to throw a hit, go to the net or win a puck battle.

“There are a handful of unique players in the league who can really influence a game by themselves,” said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour before Carolina’s game against Vancouver on Jan. 10. “I would put Miller in that category too. If you watch the way they play, he’s their lead dog and does everything for them too.”

Over the past six seasons, the left-handed veteran is also winning 56% of his draws and is averaging 42 blocked shots and 147 hits.

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However, there have also been concerns with Miller’s consistency. While he’s more often than not the complete package, the veteran has also gone through long spells of seemingly disinterested and uninspiring play.

There are also worries surrounding the length of his current contract.

Miller has an AAV of $8 million and five years remaining on his current contract with full no-movement clause until 2027-28 when it changes to a modified no-trade clause with a 15-team No Trade List (This also means Miller would have to agree to a trade to Carolina if one materialized, although it’s been reported that the Canes do have permission to talk directly with him).

The veteran is under contract until he’s 37 and that’s generally not a promising age for a power forward eating as many minutes and as much physicality as Miller has throughout his career.

But Carolina has had success getting impactful performances out of aging veterans such as Brent Burns and Jordan Staal so who knows.

Miller: The Person

The biggest knock on Miller throughout his career, is that he’s allegedly a person who can quickly wear out his welcomes.

The 31-year-old forward is apparently fiery and unafraid to speak his mind whether the opportunity calls for it or not.

He’s reportedly a dominant personality and it’s been very well reported how him and Pettersson have clashed so much to the point of where he’s now on the trade block.

But it’s also been said, like in Harman Dayal’s analysis of Miller for The Athletic, that Miller is simply one who “amplifies the team’s current emotional state.”

Dayal described Miller as someone who’s “swagger and passionate energy can take a team to the next level” but that he can also “become frustrated, charged up and on edge.”

If the Hurricanes believe they have the locker room and leadership to handle a personality like Miller or if they believe they could use a more blunt voice like his, then perhaps an acquisition wouldn’t be as negative as many have painted one out to be.

And I can also say that Tony DeAngelo, who similarly earned a reputation as a blunt, hot head, was very well liked in the Canes’ locker room.

What Would it Cost?

The biggest question everyone asks when it comes to trade rumors is what would the cost be.

And it’s a hard question to answer without knowing what GMs are valuing or looking for from a potential trade partner.

It was reported that Vancouver doesn’t want to do a deal for futures (which would be more Carolina’s M.O.) and that a deal with the New York Rangers involving Filip Chytil, a prospect and a first-round pick was also rejected.

I will say that some of the names that have been thrown out by some of the insiders are Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jack Roslovic.

Obviously I don’t think the two combined equate to the value that Miller has, but the Canucks are also not dealing from a position of power.

Miller has a full NMC and the fact that their desire to move him and his feud with Pettersson has become so public also puts a damper on what their potential return could look like.

I believe the Hurricanes do have the pieces to make a deal happen and I also don’t think it will cost them anything major (much to the dismay of Canucks fans), but who knows, I’m certainly no GM.

For now, this is just a wait and see business, but Carolina would certainly benefit from a player like Miller.

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