-Gabriel Dorris-

After nearly seven months, Canes Express is back. It’s January, and the Hurricanes are second in both the Metropolitan division and in the East, behind only the Washington Capitals, performing above expectations in a season many saw as a transition year.

Because of this, the team appears to yet again be buyers at the deadline, with insider Elliott Freedman referring to the Canes as “active [and] ready to pounce.” One of the players the Canes are rumored to be in on is Vancouver Canucks center JT Miller, who scored a career high 103 points in the 2023-24 season.

Miller, 31, is signed until the end of 2029-2030 season at a $8m AAV, meaning that he will be 37 when his contract expires. This means a decline is not just possible, but expected. Still, there are reasons to believe the Canes may be able to look past this.

The Hurricanes cap situation in the near future is fantastic; they have Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jaccob Slavin, Jalen Chatfield, Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Walker, and Pyotr Kochetkov signed for at under $50m. They have one of the league’s strongest prospect pools, with talents such as Bradly Nadeau, Alexander Nikishin, and Scott Morrow nearing the NHL, and an even stronger 25-and-under crew.

The Canes are projected to have over $25m in cap to work with going into this year’s offseason. If they can use $8m of that to turn a 2C position that is one of the weakest in the league into one of the strongest, it’s a move worth considering. Even a 37 year old JT Miller will probably be a far better point producer than Jack Drury is now, and with the cap rising quickly, $8m may not be as big of a commitment as it seems.

JT Miller is a big hitter, with 83 checks already this season, a number that would land him 4th on the team. His 30 penalty minutes aren’t terrible either; it’s the same amount as Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Sebastian Aho. He’s also a playoff performer, with 30 points in his last 30 postseason games, fantastic at faceoffs, having won 59% of his draws this year, and a perineal Selke vote earner.

Miller fits the Brind’Amour archetype perfectly, and is an elite point-scorer signed at a reasonable price. If the Canes can make something work at an okay price, they absolutely should (bonus: It stops the Rangers from getting him).

That’s not a given, though. If the Canes can’t get the Canucks down to a good price on Miller, it may be smarter to target forwards in a really strong UFA class. But even then, Carolina simply cannot risk walking into yet another season without a true second-line center.

So what would the Canucks be looking for in a deal to bring JT Miller to Raleigh? Rumor is that an offer from the New York Rangers including Filip Chytil, Ryan Lindgren, and the team’s 2025 first round pick was nixed for reasons probably relating to the protection structure of the pick and retention on Miller.

Chytil is a young center with clear potential to be a really solid player in the NHL but who has consistently struggled to score points; the Canes have two obvious equivalents in Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jack Drury. Lindgren, though a defenseman, is in a very similar boat. The Canes could probably offer up Jack Roslovic, who the Canucks have reportedly shown interest in, in his place.

So a trade offer probably looks something like:

To the Canes:

JT Miller (no retention)

To the Canucks:

Jesperi Kotkaniemi or Jack Drury

Jack Roslovic

2025 Carolina 1st round pick

One of three Carolina 2025 3rd round picks

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Though the Canes, who are frequently hesitant to trade high picks, may look to give the Canucks a second and a B-tier prospect (someone like Jayden Perron or Gleb Trikosov) or a third and a slightly better prospect (someone like Charles Alexis-Legault).

Between Drury and Kotkaniemi, Drury is probably the better trade-bait, not having the burden of a long term $5m AAV contract.

If the Canes do have the option of making a deal like the one above work, it could very well be worth it. JT Miller would immediately slot into the top six, likely centering Martin Necas on the second line and upgrading a struggling PP2.

If Carolina can get Miller without giving up an elite prospect or top-6 forward, it’s absolutely a move worth considering.