All eyes on Canucks’ J.T. Miller now atop updated Trade Targets board

MONTRÉAL — It’s Day 2 of the NHL Draft and, in the words of the legendary Bob Cole, everything is happening. There have been a handful of trades to this point, with Tony DeAngelo and Ville Husso among those on the move.

Who else is in play? We’re back with an updated Trade Targets board, which always seeks to blend a player’s prominence with his likelihood of a trade:

Daily Faceoff’s Trade Targets 🎯

1. J.T. Miller
Center, Vancouver Canucks
Age: 29
Stats: 80 GP, 32 G, 67 A, 99 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $5.25 million AAV
Scoop: The Canucks and Miller are far apart on parameters of a contract extension and there has been no shortage of outside interest in Miller, which the Canucks have been fielding since even before GM Patrik Allvin was hired. Miller has racked up 217 points in 202 games in a Canucks uniform. The sense is the Ohio native would prefer to play in the United States. One of his previous clubs, the New York Rangers, has been bandied about as a possibility. The New Jersey Devils are believed to have interest, in addition to the Washington Capitals as a potential replacement for Nicklas Backstrom. Expect the return to be north of what Kevin Fiala brought back for Minnesota.

2. Blake Wheeler
Right Wing, Winnipeg Jets
Age: 35
Stats: 65 GP, 17 G, 43 A, 60 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $8.25 million AAV
Scoop: Sources say the Jets have begun to explore the market and engage with teams on the possibility of moving Wheeler, the franchise stalwart and last remaining holdover from the Atlanta Thrashers days. Wheeler has complete control over his destination until July 1, when his full “no-move” clause converts into a five-team list to which he’d accept a trade. The early sense is Wheeler may be willing to consider a proposed destination that also is not on his list, if it’s a proper fit for his family and career. Will his cap hit prove difficult to move? Maybe not. Wheeler could be the missing piece for a contending team as a point-per-game, play-driving winger with size and heart.

3. Jakob Chychrun
Left Defense, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 24
Stats: 47 GP, 7 G, 14 A, 21 Pts
Contract: 3 more seasons, $4.6 million AAV
Scoop: The rebuilding Columbus Blue Jackets were recently mentioned as a possible fit for Chychrun. The Los Angeles Likely remain in the mix. As his name swirled in rumors last season, Chychrun said he learned one lesson: “Stay off the phone.” Chychrun also hinted in his end-of-season media availability that he isn’t up for more scorched earth rebuild in the Valley of the Sun. “That stuff is important to me. I want to be in a position where I’m getting ready to play [in the playoffs], not packing up and leaving the boys.” Will the Coyotes get their return? The four-piece package Arizona asked for was met with polarizing views from other GMs.

4. Vladimir Tarasenko
Right Wing, St. Louis Blues
Age: 30
Stats: 75 GP, 34 G, 48 A, 82 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $7.5 million AAV
Scoop: Unlike Jake DeBrusk, Tarasenko’s trade request has never been rescinded. After the Blues questioned Tarasenko’s commitment and character – even though their own doctor botched two shoulder surgeries – and left him exposed in the Expansion Draft, Tarasenko responded with the best season of his career. He was a force, led the team in scoring, yet was still only sixth among Blues forwards in ice time. Now, Tarasenko is one year away from free agency, and the benefit for the Blues is they can certainly get more for him this time around as a proven difference maker. He could be the game breaker the Hurricanes desire.

5. Jesse Puljujarvi
Right Wing, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 24
Stats: 65 GP, 14 G, 22 A, 36 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, Arbitration Eligible
Scoop: Puljujarvi’s days in Edmonton are numbered, hastened by his reported interest in a change of scenery. The 2016 No. 4 overall pick has generated interest from teams who see his frame and underlying numbers as untapped potential. He struggled mightily in the playoffs with just two goals and three points in 16 games, often looking like a deer in headlights. The Oilers are looking for a player of similar potential, maybe someone whose career has been on a similar track as Puljujarvi, in return rather than getting a draft pick. Edmonton is seeking a player or project they can build up again.

6. John Gibson
Goaltender, Anaheim Ducks
Age: 28
Stats: 56 GP, 18-26-11, 3.19 GAA, .904 Sv%
Contract: 5 more seasons, $6.4 million AAV
Scoop: Gibson’s agent set the record straight and said his client did not request a trade in Anaheim. Nonetheless, the Ducks are definitely open to moving him. The price is high. He was first floated by new Ducks manager Pat Verbeek in March as a lifeline to any teams in need of a netminder. Gibson’s contract may be prohibitive in term for a goaltender who has been below league average in save percentage for each of the last three seasons – but the Ducks could be willing to retain salary to increase the return. At the right cap hit, Gibson could be a great fit for a playoff team, as one of the most consistent and talented goalies in the league just a few years back.

7. Tyson Barrie
Right Defense, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 30
Stats: 73 GP, 7 G, 34 A, 41 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $4.5 million AAV
Scoop: Part of Barrie’s future in Edmonton may hinge on Duncan Keith’s decision to return for a second season, as he contemplates retirement. The Oilers aren’t down on Barrie, so much as they’ll need to create salary cap flexibility if they’re able to re-sign Evander Kane. Sliding Barrie, an elite power play facilitator, elsewhere would be one way to try to achieve that. The ready-made defense solution would be if 2019 No. 8 overall pick Philip Broberg is ready to take the next step, to pick up the slack for Barrie on the right side with Cody Ceci and Evan Bouchard next season.

8. Jeff Petry
Right Defense, Montreal Canadiens
Age: 34
Stats: 68 GP, 6 G, 21 A, 27 Pts
Contract: 3 more seasons, $6.25 million AAV
Scoop: Last season was a write-off for both Petry and the Montreal Canadiens. Both the player and team struggled, and the Habs acknowledged they would try to facilitate a trade to help Petry, whose family was back living in the U.S. That’s tough for any player. At the same time, the Canadiens know Petry didn’t suddenly forget how to play hockey, the pandemic restrictions have lifted now, and they aren’t willing to pay assets to move a player that is surely better than last season indicated. He’d be a solid backup plan in Pittsburgh if the Penguins aren’t able to re-sign Kris Letang. There is a potential domino effect with some of the power play facilitators available: Barrie, Petry, Tony DeAngelo and Torey Krug.

9. Lawson Crouse
Left Wing, Arizona Coyotes
Age: 24
Stats: 65 GP, 20 G, 14 A, 34 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, Arbitration Eligible
Scoop: Rangy wingers with size are drawing tons of interest. If Chychrun is available, then why not Crouse? His name has been out there for a while. That’s the current plight of the Coyotes. To date, Crouse and the Coyotes haven’t been able to come to terms on an extension. He will certainly be in line for a raise coming off his first career 20-goal season. The big (6-foot-4) and rangy winger will draw interest from teams for his size, even if his game isn’t overly physical. He is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent after two more accrued seasons.

10. Alec Martinez
Left Defense, Vegas Golden Knights
Age: 34
Stats: 26 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $5.25 million AAV
Scoop: Martinez struggled mightily with a facial injury that manifested in migraines and concussion-like symptoms, causing him to miss nearly 60 games. He is healthy now and ready to contribute. Even so, it’s probably fair to say he has lost a step in the process, so his level of play isn’t likely to be commensurate with his pay. That’s a gamble the Golden Knights can’t afford to make. Would there be suitors for Martinez, with his 12-team “no-trade” list, if Vegas was willing to retain maybe $1 million? That’d be an intriguing bet.

11. Torey Krug
Left Defense, St. Louis Blues
Age: 31
Stats: 64 GP, 9 G, 34 A, 43 Pts
Contract: 5 more seasons, $6.5 million AAV
Scoop: Blues GM Doug Armstrong has quietly explored the potential of moving Krug, whom he brought in two seasons ago on a $45 million deal. Most importantly: Krug has a full “no-trade” clause and can block a deal to any team, and to this point, it sounds as if he has not been approached about the possibility. However, Armstrong is juggling a lot of balls in the air at the moment (see: Vladimir Tarasenko at No. 5). The Blues are wondering how they can create some cap flexibility. Would Krug have significant value at is cost certainty? Robert Thomas needs an expensive new deal, Jordan Kyrou will be up in a year, and the Blues might want to target other key players as they tinker with their group.

12. John Marino
Right Defense, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 25
Stats: 81 GP, 1 G, 24 A, 25 Pts
Contract: 5 more seasons, $4.4 million AAV
Scoop: The Penguins received a few calls on Marino ahead of last season’s deadline, but remained focused and committed on their playoff push. The truth is Marino is not Pittsburgh’s preferred choice to move on their back end. That would be Marcus Pettersson. But no team seems willing to take on Pettersson’s three more years at just over $4 million, while there are teams interested in Marino, and the Penguins have a real need to move money if they’re going to run it back with Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust next season.

13. Travis Konecny
Right Wing, Philadelphia Flyers
Age: 25
Stats: 79 GP, 16 G, 36 A, 52 Pts
Contract: 3 more seasons, $5.5 million AAV
Scoop: The Flyers engaged in exploratory conversations with a few teams about Konecny ahead of the March trade deadline, certainly willing to examine the possibility of moving him. They never advanced beyond that, but GM Chuck Fletcher laid enough ground work that if he is indeed ready to move Konecny, he at least has an idea of what he might be able to get in return. Konecny’s goal scoring has fallen off in a big way after 24, 24 and 30-goal (pace 2019-20) seasons. He works hard, is willing to go to the dirty areas to score, but his body language isn’t great. Is he the type of player to blossom or sag under John Tortorella? That’s probably what the Flyers are trying to figure out.

14. Semyon Varlamov
Goaltender, New York Islanders
Age: 34
Stats: 31 GP, 10-17-2, 2.88 GAA, .912 Sv%
Contract: 1 more season, $5 million AAV
Scoop: Ilya Sorokin is the guy on the Island. There’s no question about that. Yes, you need two goaltenders to share the workload now more than ever, and Lou Lamoriello is on-record as stating the importance of that. He clearly likes his two goalies, and they seem to get along well together, which is important. But Lamoriello may be able to lean on Sorokin and use Varlamov’s $5 million to help rebuild a defense corps that is in desperate need of help. The Islanders had two 40-year-olds make up one-third of their blueline last year. There’d be lots of interest in Varlamov, who had a strong season and will have just one year’s worth of string attached.

15. Matt Murray
Goaltender, Ottawa Senators
Age: 28
Stats: 20 GP, 5-12-2, 3.05 GAA, .906 Sv%
Contract: 2 more seasons, $6.25 million AAV
Scoop: The Senators have been working hard for the last few days in an attempt to move Murray’s contract. They had a deal in place with the Buffalo Sabres, but Murray blocked the trade via his “no-trade” clause, which left Buffalo without a needed goalie and the Sens with a problem contract still on their books. Given the need for netminders, it will be possible to find Murray a new home, but they’re going to need to either retain salary or significantly sweeten the deal in order to make it happen. A buyout before the first window closes on July 11 is the last resort, though it would save $5 million in real cash.

16. Cam Talbot
Goaltender, Minnesota Wild
Age: 35
Stats: 49 GP, 32-12-4, 2.76 GAA, .911 Sv%
Scoop: With Marc-Andre Fleury returning to Minnesota, this is a developing situation. Sources indicated Talbot wasn’t exactly thrilled with Fleury’s arrival last spring on trade deadline day, after he’d put together an excellent season. Fleury ran with the ball and started the first five games of Minnesota’s first-round series against St. Louis, before Talbot was thrust into an unenviable position to start an elimination Game 6 – his first game action in more than two weeks. The Wild fell, 5-1, and then Fleury was brought back – with what GM Bill Guerin said was designed to be one of the best tandems in the league. Minnesota doesn’t have much interest in trading him; Talbot would like an extension, but if that doesn’t materialize, he could potentially be on the move.

17. Anthony Beauvillier
Left Wing, New York Islanders
Age: 25
Stats: 75 GP, 12 G, 22 A, 34 Pts
Contract: 2 more seasons, $4.15 million AAV
Scoop: Beauvillier’s name popped up on a few teams’ radars over the last few weeks, someone that the Islanders may be willing to part with this summer if Lou Lamoriello has any designs on shaking things up. Beauvillier’s progression seems to have flatlined a bit. After scoring 21 goals in 2017-18 as a 21-year-old, he has not been able to get back to that mark, netting just 12 in 75 games – which was a drop-off from the previous season. He is no doubt a talented player, which is why teams may have interest, even if he isn’t exactly producing commensurate with his cap hit.

18. Anaheim Ducks’ Cap Space
Must Spend $18 million to Get to Salary Floor
Scoop: For new GM Pat Verbeek, spending to the salary floor certainly won’t be a challenge. The gap will grow a little wider if John Gibson (No. 7) and his $6.4 million hit is moving on. To that end, the Ducks have let other teams know that they’re interested in taking on problematic contracts in exchange for draft capital and flippable assets. Verbeek already tried to do that with Evgenii Dadonov (voided) and took on John Moore’s deal from Boston to increase the return for Hampus Lindholm. Anaheim can be a major player in that space this summer.

19. Kasperi Kapanen
Right Wing, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 25
Stats: 79 GP, 11 G, 21 A, 32 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, Arbitration Eligible
Scoop: Logic would dictate that as the Penguins attempt to re-sign Kris Letang, then Evgeni Malkin, that they may soon run out of money to pay Kapanen. His qualifying offer is low, but he’s likely looking at an arbitration award in the $3.5 million range, and he falls below Evan Rodrigues on the pecking order as the Pens dish out their dollars. Kapanen may be a player Pittsburgh simply cannot afford to keep as they also search for a netminder to play in tandem with Tristan Jarry.

20. Pavel Zacha
Center, New Jersey Devils
Age: 25
Stats: 70 GP, 15 G, 21 A, 36 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, Arbitration Eligible
Scoop: It’s never a problem to be well-built down the middle, but it feels like the Devils have run out of room for Zacha in New Jersey with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier ahead of him at center. Zacha hit a new career-high in points (36) last season while playing the most minutes (1,179) of his career. There’d be no harm if the Devils were to keep Zacha, the sense is that they’d be able to better parlay a return for him into more help elsewhere in the lineup.

21/22. Tanner Pearson, Jason Dickinson
Forwards, Vancouver Canucks
Ages: 29, 26
Stats: 68 GP, 14 G, 20 A, 34 Pts / 62 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 Pts
Contracts: 2 more seasons, $3.2 million AAV / 2 more seasons, $2.65 million AAV
Scoop: Rutherford said recently on the DFO Rundown that the amount of money the Canucks can move off their books will determine how big of a player they are on the trade and free agent market this summer. We know from Pittsburgh that Pearson is not Rutherford’s type of winger. He’s already traded him once. Dickinson is vastly overpaid for his production, but it will cost assets to move him. The Canucks will be working to try and find suitors for both.

23. Filip Zadina
Right Wing, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 22
Stats: 75 GP, 10 G, 14 A, 24 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, not eligible for arbitration
Scoop: There was no shortage of excitement around Zadina when the Red Wings selected him at No. 6 overall in 2018. GM Steve Yzerman doesn’t tip his hand, but the sense league-wide is a change of scenery is in order for Zadina. He is a gifted shooter, but the knock on him is that he’s become more of a perimeter player – and only a select few players (Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos) can consistently score in today’s NHL from the outside.

24. Justin Holl
Right Defense, Toronto Maple Leafs
Age: 30
Stats: 69 GP, 3 G, 20 A, 23 Pts
Contract: 1 more season, $2 million AAV
Scoop: Holl has been passed on the Leafs’ depth chart by Timothy Liljegren, making him eminently available. Holl’s contract is not unreasonable for a third-pair defenseman who can chip in 20 points consistently, but it’s also fair to say Toronto probably should have moved him when there was more interest and his value was higher.

25. Jesper Bratt
Right Wing, New Jersey Devils
Age: 23
Stats: 76 GP, 26 G, 47 A, 73 Pts
Contract: Pending RFA, Arbitration Eligible
Scoop: GM Tom Fitzgerald gave a full-throated denial this week, saying Bratt is not and was not ever available in trade talks. That’s in line with what Fitzgerald said after the season, that Bratt is a big part of New Jersey’s future. As we reported last week, Bratt was offered a long-term contract by New Jersey, but it wasn’t in the realm of being considered acceptable. He is a heck of a player. He’s young. He’s worked his way to become a point-per-game guy from a sixth-round pick. Until he’s signed, he’s staying on the board.

Next Up: Nicolas Hague (Vegas), Ethan Bear (Carolina), Carson Soucy (Seattle).

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TRADED: No. 1 Alex DeBrincat (to Ottawa); No. 2 Kevin Fiala (to Los Angeles); No. 5 Tony DeAngelo (to Philadelphia); No. 11 Alexandar Georgiev (to Colorado); No. 14 Evgeni Dadonov (to Montreal); No. 20 Contract of Shea Weber (to Vegas); No. 31 Zack Kassian (to Arizona); No. 31 Philippe Myers (to Tampa Bay), No. 34 Petr Mrazek (to Chicago);

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All eyes on Canucks’ J.T. Miller now atop updated Trade Targets board

Daily Faceoff’s Trade Targets 🎯

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