Quoting: BeautifulIdiot
See I would disagree, teams would pay this much in FA, we see this with a player who wasn’t as good and was older in Kadri, yes he just came off winning a cup but miller had put up better numbers over the years. Miller would probably get 8x7 in FA, so now is there a team that would trade for him, and might send back cap? I think so
You're analysis is reasonable but it only looks at the contract cost, not the trade cost. Vancouver would need significant assets back in a Miller trade, the kind that other teams don't give up. We were holding out for Schneider from the Rangers but the ask was never met. If Miller was a UFA this summer he'd get a massive deal given the weak UFA crop, but he's not so that line of thinking doesn't work.
If you are dead set on a Miller trade it must satisfy all of these requirements:
- Acquiring team must be willing to take an expensive, long term contract commitment to win now.
- Acquiring team must have asset(s) that the Canucks find valuable AND be willing to give them up.
- Acquiring team must have cap flexibility in terms of current cap space or contracts that can be included to balance the deal.
- Acquiring team must deem Miller a better target than others (Scheifele, Kuznetsov, etc.) due to caliber of play, playstyle fit, acquisition cost, locker room chemistry, etc.
- Vancouver must have a strong option to replace Miller at 2C, either with the trade itself or immediately following the trade using the assets.
- Unless the deal is made in the next couple of weeks, the acquiring team must be one that Miller would waive for given his NMC.
Unless something as bonkers as the Tkachuk trade happens, there's no path for a Miller trade.