NHL Rumors: J.T. Miller likely to halt contract talks, and Sens balked at Jakob Chychrun ask
Anthony Scultore
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Today’s NHL Rumors takes a look at the latest news focused on two of the biggest names on the trade market.
For a majority of the past season and much of this summer, both J.T. Miller and Jakob Chychrun have circulated heavily in speculation. Here’s the where things stand concerning the current situations.
NHL Rumors: J.T. Miller
Miller, 29, was the Vancouver Canucks leading scorer last year with 99 points in 80 games. He has one year left on his current deal which comes at a very affordable $5.25M cap hit. Despite his open desire to stay in Vancouver, there’s been rumblings that Miller wants to test the free agent market next summer.
“At this point with negotiations we’re not as close as we’d like to be. I’m not 100%– everyone has a vision. I want to be here,” Miller told the Dropping The Gloves podcast. “That being said, if it’s not meant to be, I understand that too.”
According to Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal, Miller could very well decide to cease any negotiations come the start of the hockey season.
Miller’s agent Brian Bartlett of Bartlett Hockey told The Athletic this week, that Miller’s camp opts to cut off all contract talks once the regular season commences.
The Athletic
If that’s the case, it would be hard not to see a trade come the NHL Trade Deadline. Canucks President Jim Rutherford said as much this offseason.
“I think when the impatience [for a trade] should come on J.T. Miller is when we get closer to the trade deadline,” Rutherford said via NHL.com. “If we don’t have him signed at that point, making sure that we get a return for him. But I don’t see where there’s any urgency until we get to the trade deadline.”
At this point, Miller being traded is leaning heavily in the yes column.
NHL Rumors: Jakob Chychrun
Chychrun, 24, notched 7 goals and 21 points in 47 games this past season. Coming into 2022-23, he has a great contract with 3 years left at $4.6 million AAV. That’s incredible value for a top 4 defenseman in a flat cap system.
After several disappointing seasons in Arizona, Chychrun appears ready to move on.
“I don’t know. I’m signed for 3 more years,” he said. “The trajectory of where the team is going and a lot of that stuff is important to me. I want to be in a position where I’m getting to play a week from now, not packing up.”
Recently, the Ottawa Senators were heavily rumored to be ready to deal for the star defender. But according to Bruce Garrioch, GM Pierre Dorian balked at the high asking price.
While the Senators have held talks with Arizona Coyotes about defenceman Jakub Chychrun, Dorion has balked at the asking price… The belief is the Coyotes want two first-round picks and a high-end prospect for Chychrun. He could help the club’s back end but Dorion has to determine at what cost? The Coyotes have stuck to their asking price but that doesn’t mean that Dorion has to pay it.
Ottawa Sun
The Sens are reportedly happy with their current roster, but are open to still improving. This offseason saw the additions of Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat, and Cam Talbot which has many talking playoffs in Canada’s capital.
