In today’s NHL rumors rundown, despite getting an extension and the Canucks being happy with his performance as head coach, there is talk that Bruce Boudreau’s leash in Vancouver could be very short. Still with the Canucks, is it possible that J.T. Miller could still be traded after signing his long-term deal with the team?
There is an update on the status of Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks and Adam Ruzicka spoke during a podcast about his future with the team, plus made an interesting comment about Matthew Tkachuk.
Bruce Boudreau On Hot Seat
As per Adam Proteau of The Hockey News, one coach whose job is already being closely watched is Bruce Boudreau out of Vancouver. That might sound odd considering the success he had last season and the one-year option he was given this summer, but the Canucks are clearly in win-now mode with the signing of J.T. Miller and they’re bringing back their core group of players.
Because Boudreau wasn’t picked by current management, GM Patrik Allvin isn’t married to the idea that a long leash is required when it comes to the coach. Proteau writes, “Boudreau was hired before Allvin last season, and we all know GMs prefer installing their bench boss after they’ve been brought on board, so there’s no thick attachment between Boudreau and Allvin.” So too, Allvin declined to offer a contract extension beyond the option he had and this will certainly put pressure on him to get off to a hot start.
Miller Trade Possible This Season?
The Province’s Patrick Johnston notes that just because the Canucks signed J.T. Miller to a long-term extension doesn’t mean he’s untradable, especially this coming season. Johnston writes:
This is the interesting wrinkle in all this: Miller’s new deal has a no-movement clause, but until it kicks in at the start of the 2023-24 season, he doesn’t have one. Some teams may have been hesitant to trade for Miller because they were nervous he might walk on them even after a trade. But now there’s a cost certainty to Miller.
source – ‘Canucks: Signing J.T. Miller answers one question, but where do they go from here?’ -Patrick Johnston – The Province – 09/03/2022
Related: NHL Rumors: Oilers, Canucks, Red Wings, Stars
Essentially, he’s arguing that Miller is a potential candidate to be moved this coming season because he has a long-term deal and that if he’s dealt, the team that acquires him knows he’ll be sticking around. The question would be, why would the Canucks trade him if he’s playing well? Conversely, why would a team trade for him if he isn’t?
Update on Patrick Kane Situation
There is still no evidence to suggest Patrick Kane has approached the Blackhawks and made it clear he’s willing to be traded. At the same time, David Pagnotta of The NHL Network is reporting that the understanding is that Kane won’t finish the season in Chicago.
Pagnotta reports that it’s not clear there’s any indication a trade will take place prior to the start of the 2022-23 season, but there are fluid talks going on between the Blackhawks and other organizations and this will all come down to what the team wants to do and whether they try to maximize the value in any return during the year or wait until the deadline.
Did Matthew Tkachuk Insist on Flames’ Captaincy?
Quotes from a podcast interview between former NHL player Marian Gaborik and Adam Ruzicka — who is still waiting for a contract from the Calgary Flames — covered a number of topics related to the team and what happened with some of their stars over the summer. Among the comments Ruzicka made (which were translated to English from Slovak) were that Matthew Tkachuk insisted on the capitancy before he was traded.
The suggestion was that this might have been one of the reasons he left the Flames and did not want to sign long-term. Ruzicka called him a great teammate and a “great guy” per his words.
Ruzicka also noted he is nervous about his new contract and the fact he’s not been signed yet. He’s a qualified RFA but the Flames need to make a decision on him and whether he stays with the team or gets placed on waivers.
