NHL Trade Deadline: 5 deals the New York Rangers should make
4. Trade J.T Miller to Columbus
J.T Miller is an intriguing question mark for the Rangers at the deadline and will answer a lot of questions about what kind of rebuild the team envisions. In 61 games this season, Miller has 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points with a cap hit of $2,750,000 that will expire at the end of the season and make him a restricted free agent. Miller is primarily a left winger but could play center if needed.
The Rangers trading Miller is a sign of a full-on roster purge and a full commitment to an offseason rebuild that will carry over into next season and likely the following season. Miller is still developing at 24 years old and could still grow into a solid top-six forward.
If New York is looking to get younger on top of their core roster to compete again in around two years, then Miller will likely stay. If the Rangers are looking to burn it all down and start anew, then expect him to get dealt now or around the draft. Miller is not a lock to get dealt before Monday’s deadline, but he has been mentioned alongside the more obvious trade chips on the Rangers as a possibility to leave but hasn’t been connected to any teams yet.
Why should Columbus look at trading for Miller? To start, Miller is not simply a rental player to help them get to the playoffs, he’s a talented young player that has shown flashes of tremendous skill on the Rangers but hasn’t been able to find a consistent groove. Columbus’ left wing depth is lacking, Boone Jenner and Matt Calvert have found themselves amidst a lackluster season with 35 points between the two of them combined, three points fewer than Miller’s production during a supposed “down year”.
Adding Miller onto the second or third line wing for the foreseeable future takes the pressure off of Jenner and Calvert and fits them into reasonable third and fourth line roles, taking Nathan Gerbe out of the lineup. Miller gives Columbus a balanced scoring attack on all four lines. Even if Columbus makes the deal and still misses the playoffs or is eliminated early, Miller will still be coming back next year with another year of development under his belt if he signs a new contract, unless they decide to trade Miller’s rights in the offseason.