Huge player-for-player trade scenario sends J.T. Miller to Toronto!

On Tuesday, Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford spoke candidly with Gary Mason of the “Globe and Mail” about the team’s struggles this season and openly admitted that a locker room feud between stars Elias Pettersson and JT Miller has fractured the club.

“and I felt like for a long time that there was a solution here because everybody has worked on it, including the parties involved,” said Rutherford. “But it only gets resolved for a short period of time and then it festers again and so it certainly appears like there’s not a good solution that would keep this group together.”

He added: “When you don’t have chemistry, it’s hard to be that consistent team because there’s too much going on in the room for everybody to concentrate on what they’re supposed to do.”

This only added oil to the fire and of course, more rumours emerged. In the mix came insiders Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne who offered a trade proposal that would send Miller to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both hosts a solution lies within the Maple Leafs organization, suggesting a player-for player trade with the Canucks involving defenseman Morgan Rielly.

“Would you knock on the door of Jim Rutherford and flip Morgan for JT Miller?

“Only half a million off on cap, relatively the same age, and they have the same amount on their deal. Does it make the Leafs better?

“Morgan gets to go home. He’ll say no to a lot of teams, but going home to BC could make them one of those teams…Vancouver needs to get J.T. Miller out of that locker room.”

Rielly is from Vancouver and would probably love the idea of playing at home, however, the move could be hard for the Leafs’ fanbase to swallow. But the addition of Miller up front would give Toronto a proven scorer with term and some insurance if, in the end, Mitch Marner does not return.

Rielly’s deal is similar to Miller’s, with only $500,000 separating their AAV (Rielly makes $7.5M, Miller makes $8M) and both men will be roughly the same age at the end of their contracts.

Toronto would still be able to count on blue liners Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who count for $12.5M combined on the Leafs’ cap, while still having the likes of Philippe Myers and Simon Benoit on board.

It could be a trade that works out, only if general manager Brad Treliving buys what Kypreos and Bourne are selling.