Insider Trading: Devils, Hurricanes among teams in talks on Miller

TSN Hockey Insiders Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun join host Gino Reda to discuss the fallout from Connor McDavid’s suspension, the latest trade talks surrounding J.T. Miller, the Oilers possibly in the market for another blueliner, and the Penguins' plans for the trade deadline.

CJ, you've told us that McDavid and his camp are not going to appeal his three-game suspension. Can you give us a sense of how they came to make that decision?

Johnston: I think the most important thing to highlight here is it's not an admission or an acknowledgement that they necessarily agree with the three-game suspension that the NHL's Department of Player Safety has come down with on Connor McDavid. But, really, when you look at the process with the suspension of this length, the CBA calls for it to be heard by Gary Bettman if it gets to an appeal. And historically, that's just not been a good way for other players in similar situations to see the ban reduced. It's just something you don't see happen too much. And so given what's gone on here, I think it's fair to say the Oilers and McDavid felt it was a stiff punishment, maybe a little bit of an overreach, but they've just decided to take their medicine. McDavid can return to the Oilers lineup next Monday and he's going to move forward rather than push this back into the commissioner's hands.

Let's turn our attention to the trade front. There was all kinds of talk about a deal becoming very close between the Rangers and the Canucks with J.T. Miller over the weekend. That didn't unfold. But, Pierre, are we now at the point where we're saying 'when' and not just 'if' the Canucks are going to move Miller out of Vancouver?

LeBrun: Yeah, that's the sense that you get when talking to people involved in this situation - that everyone seems to agree that the end result will be a trade eventually. What they can't predict is when exactly. Could be as early as this week. Could be closer to the March 7th trade deadline. Could also be this summer in the off-season. You know, we could still be talking about this, so get ready for that. A couple of things that are important to note. One is that Miller hasn't given the Canucks a list of teams that he would waive for, although in those conversations between his camp and the Canucks, there's a sense of the general parameters of the kind of team that would make sense. And yes, there are other teams other than the Rangers that have been in talks with the Vancouver Canucks. One of them is the Carolina Hurricanes, who are looking for an upgrade on offence, and the hurricanes are looking to see what would make sense if they make an offer to trade for J.T. Miller.

The New Jersey Devils, the Rangers' rivals - they have also been a late entrant in this and they have held talks with the Canucks and J.T. Miller. I also think that internally, the Devils are trying to sort of suss out if it makes sense to go all-in on this or not at this point and where they are. The Dallas Stars, with all that cap money that they can spend with Tyler Seguin on the shelf. That's a team that a lot of people believe J.T. Miller might wait for. Will they make a pitch? So, there are other teams involved. But, one thing the Canucks have sort of changed their tune on when this started six or seven weeks ago - with talks on J.T. Miller - the Canucks said, we need apples for apples. We're trying to make the playoffs here. We don't want to do a futures deal. The Canucks have relented a bit on that. They would do a futures deal when it comes to making a deal with a contender, like a Carolina or a New Jersey, because they understand those teams don't want to trade away from their core. So, still to play out here. But the Canucks are telling teams 'we're not giving this guy away'. We'll see where it goes.

What about the Oilers? They signed veteran John Klingberg on Friday. He skated with the team on Monday. Could be in their lineup in under a week. But is that it for the Oilers or are they still looking for more help on the blueline?

LeBrun: Yeah, there is a chance to add another piece to their blueline. I don't think it's going to be terribly sexy. That depends, of course, on injuries and how things play out between now and March 7th. But, right now I think they like their seven guys, but maybe a little more depth. I think their penalty killing has actually been top-five in the league since November. They like what they have there, but this is just about adding depth. They want to have another long playoff run and another body on the back end. Someone more in a shutdown role. That's the kind of thing they're looking at between now and March 7th.

What about Pittsburgh? Since Sidney Crosby signed his two-year extension before the start of the season, we've been wondering what's going to happen to the team around him. Have the Pens made a decision on that, CJ?

Johnston: Certainly they're adopting the posture of a team that's going to be shipping out some players between now and March 7th. And, what the Penguins are telling rival teams at this point is that: 'Okay, Crosby obviously off the table'. You're not talking trade with him. Some of the other legacy players like Evgeni Malkin in the same spot. But beyond that, there really aren't any untouchables on that Penguins roster. What Pittsburgh's looking to do is get younger. They'd like to trade some of their older players for younger NHL players, as opposed to prospects and draft picks, perhaps. Maybe one misconception that's out there - because there have been a lot of reports about the Penguins - they're not looking to retain salary on any of their players with multiple years left on their deal. So, it's not as though someone like Erik Karlsson is going to get traded with a salary retention spot. Pittsburgh has just one of those retention spots left and obviously they'll be careful with how they use it.