The Canucks made a splash Friday, signing veteran center J.T. Miller to a seven-year contract extension with an $8 million average annual value. General manager Patrick Allvin announced the deal.
Miller joined the Canucks in 2019 and has enjoyed his best seasons in Vancouver, culminating in a 99-point season in 2021-22. Miller had one more year on his contract at a cap hit of $5.25 million.
The Lightning traded Miller to the Canucks for Marek Mazenac, a 2019 third-round draft pick and a 2020 conditional first-round pick. Miller was a cap casualty for Tampa Bay at the time. He played a lot of wing for the Canucks before moving to center in 2021.
With an $8 million AAV, Miller will be in the neighborhood of Logan Couture, Matt Duchene and Jack Hughes, among other highly paid players.
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The big question now is what this now means for Bo Horvat, who is set to be a free agent after the 2022-23 season. Horvat has played his entire career to date in Vancouver, so the Canucks will have a big choice to make.
J.T. Miller contract details
Miller's contract is for seven years and $56 million. The average annual value (AAV) is $8 million.
The deal is a big investment. Vancouver is relying on consistency from a player whose best seasons have come recently.
With Miller set for free agency after the 2022-23 season when his five-year, $5.25 million AAV contract expires, it made sense to lock him up now if he's part of their long-term plans.
Allvin called him "an impact player" in the NHL.
"His production last season speaks for itself and his competitive drive provides a standard that our players can look up to. He will continue to be a key piece of this team for years to come," Allvin said.
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How old is J.T. Miller?
Miller is still within the window where the Canucks can invest in him long term.
He's a seasoned veteran, having come into the league with the Rangers at age 19. He's now 29 and will be 30 by the end of next season. The Canucks' leading scorer in the 2021-22 season seems to be getting better with age.
This move should more or less finish the offseason for Canucks, who have made a concerted effort to add offense. Having Curtis Lazar, Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko in the fold should help a team that was 18th in the league in scoring last season at 3.00 goals per game played.
If Miller continues to play at the level he did last year, the Canucks could break their recent dry spell in which they've made just one playoff appearance since 2015 (the COVID-affected 2020 playoffs).
