Bruins ‘have kept very close tabs’ on Miller as trade rumors swirl: Report originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Vancouver Canucks might be the team to watch ahead of the March 7 NHL trade deadline because they have not one, but two top-six centers who have been the subject of recent trade rumors.
Veteran forwards J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson reportedly have a fractured relationship, and it doesn’t seem like there’s an obvious fix to the situation, based on Canucks general manager Jim Rutherford’s comments to The Globe and Mail earlier this week.
I sat down with Canucks president Jim Rutherford. He had things to say about the untenable situation in which the team finds itself: Vancouver Canucks team president says there is no good solution in rift between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller – The Globe and Mail
— Gary Mason🇺🇦 (@garymasonglobe) January 28, 2025
It probably makes more sense for the Canucks to trade Miller and keep Pettersson. The latter is younger, just as talented offensively and signed for longer.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote last week in his 32 Thoughts blog that Pettersson “communicated to the Canucks he wishes to stay.”
So, where does that leave Miller? Could the Boston Bruins be involved? When asked last week on Sports on Prime Canada about potential dark horse teams in the Miller sweepstakes, Daily Faceoff’s NHL insider Frank Seravalli mentioned the Bruins.
“I haven’t heard a lot of people talking about the Boston Bruins, and their need for a top-end center has been well-documented,” Seravalli said. “We’ve also heard Cam Neely, their president of hockey operations, hint at the idea that, ‘Hey, we might have to rejig some things here based on the way that this season has played out.’”
“I do believe that the Boston Bruins have kept very close tabs on the Miller situation with the Vancouver Canucks. I would term them as a team lurking in the weeds right now to try and monitor those prices, and wouldn’t be surprised if this continues to linger on closer to the March 7 deadline, even as much as Vancouver seems motivated and Miller seems ready to go, they’re a team that could remain in the mix.”
The Bruins absolutely need a top-six center. It’s arguably their No. 1 need going forward. The ideal scenario for the Bruins would be Elias Lindholm filling that role after he signed a seven-year, $54.25 million contract in free agency last summer. But Lindholm has not produced at a top-six…