Thanks, David! Means a lot coming from a fellow hockey writer.
Aside from publishing here and posting highlight videos on YouTube, I don't have much of an online presence. Tried Bluesky for a bit last year. Maybe I'll revisit it somewhere down the line.
I have no doubt that a contender will want JT Miller. The question is, will the Canucks (and the Vancouver press and fans) be happy with what they can get for him? Both Miller and Pedersson are distressed properties at this point in that everyone knows that one or the other has to be dealt. Maybe both. That being said, I don't blame Jim Rutherford's interview for depressing their trade value. I know he's taking a lot of heat for airing the team's dirty laundry, but I don't think he said anything that the rest of the league didn't already know or had intuited.
The Canucks probably won't get market value for Miller, but I don't see how they can hold on to him either. This situation has reached a point where they need to cut their losses and simply accept the best deal on the table. Losing a trade on paper isn't the end of the world if you can identify a good system fit and improve the team's chemistry.
... And it happened! I have to say, I think Vancouver did better than I thought they would. If you consider the other players involved a wash, getting a middle-low 1st round pick and not having to retain any salary is not a bad return.
Yeah, decent return given the circumstances. I'm not that high on Lafreniere or Schneider (both were linked to Miller rumors for a while), so getting a package built around a first-rounder was the right call. Hopefully, Hughes is OK with it too.
Are you on social media, or anywhere else besides Substack? Your work is seriously some of the best in hockey.
Thanks, David! Means a lot coming from a fellow hockey writer.
Aside from publishing here and posting highlight videos on YouTube, I don't have much of an online presence. Tried Bluesky for a bit last year. Maybe I'll revisit it somewhere down the line.
I have no doubt that a contender will want JT Miller. The question is, will the Canucks (and the Vancouver press and fans) be happy with what they can get for him? Both Miller and Pedersson are distressed properties at this point in that everyone knows that one or the other has to be dealt. Maybe both. That being said, I don't blame Jim Rutherford's interview for depressing their trade value. I know he's taking a lot of heat for airing the team's dirty laundry, but I don't think he said anything that the rest of the league didn't already know or had intuited.
The Canucks probably won't get market value for Miller, but I don't see how they can hold on to him either. This situation has reached a point where they need to cut their losses and simply accept the best deal on the table. Losing a trade on paper isn't the end of the world if you can identify a good system fit and improve the team's chemistry.
... And it happened! I have to say, I think Vancouver did better than I thought they would. If you consider the other players involved a wash, getting a middle-low 1st round pick and not having to retain any salary is not a bad return.
Yeah, decent return given the circumstances. I'm not that high on Lafreniere or Schneider (both were linked to Miller rumors for a while), so getting a package built around a first-rounder was the right call. Hopefully, Hughes is OK with it too.