鈥淚 had one team that reached out to me here this morning. I don鈥檛 think they were very serious. I never had an offer for J.T. Miller, so I鈥檒l leave it at that.鈥� - Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin, commenting on rumors that the Pittsburgh Penguins made on offer on deadline day for the Canucks forward J.T. Miller.

Perhaps the biggest story surrounding the Vancouver Canucks on the March 3 NHL trade deadline day was what didn鈥檛 happen.

According to Rogers Sportsnet Insiders Elliotte Friedman and Darren Dreger, the Penguins were willing to part with draft picks to acquire Miller but the Canucks asking price also included a second-line center in the package and Pittsburgh was unwilling to accommodate that request.

It鈥檚 also been rumored that the Carolina Hurricanes were involved in a potential three-way deal, but in the end, Miller remained a Canuck.

Given that the Canucks have said that they are 鈥榬etooling鈥欌�� and not 鈥榬ebuilding鈥� it makes sense that they passed on the Penguins supposed offer.

Yet with Miller鈥檚 no-movement clause kicking in on July 1, rumors will continue about a possible trade.

The question is why are the Canucks now apparently willing to trade someone that they signed to a seven-year, $56 million dollar extension in September?

The obvious answer is that they desperately need to clear some cap space.

Right now, the organization is hamstrung in that players such as Oliver Ekman-Larsson ($7.2 million per season for the next four seasons), Brock Boeser ($6.6 million for the next two seasons) and Conor Garland ($4.95 for the next three seasons) are stapled to the roster.

Despite the best efforts of Allvin and Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford, these contracts have become immovable during the season.

It鈥檚 got so bad with Ekman-Larsson that some suggest a buyout could occur this summer. That seems highly unlikely with the term that he has left, never mind the fact that owner Francesco Aquilini would have to sign off on paying the 31-year-old defenceman close to $20 million dollars not to play. It would also mean a cap hit through the 2030-31 season.

Boeser will be moved in the off-season, and with the way the Calgary Flames are collecting ex-Canucks, don鈥檛 be surprised if he lands there given his relationship with the likes of Chris Tanev, Jacob Markstrom, Tyler Toffoli and Troy Stecher.

There is a path out of this mess but it would require some 鈥榤ajor surgery鈥� as Rutherford would like to call it.

So, time for Dr. Moj to throw on some scrubs and head to the ER!

If there are teams that are willing to give the Canucks first round draft picks for Miller 鈥� take the picks.

First, you would rid yourself of a contract that is not going to age well. Miller will be 37 when his new deal ends at the conclusion of the 2029-30 season.

To use that famous Winston Churchill quote - those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Ekman-Larsson鈥檚 contract is an albatross, so why go through the same situation with Miller in four or five years?

Once Miller is moved, you would have to do some maneuvering that would make Maverick from Top Gun proud.

Even though he does have a no-movement clause, persuade Ekman-Larsson that his future is anywhere but Vancouver and use the newly-acquired draft picks as a sweetener to unload his contract.

Replacing Ekman-Larsson鈥檚 contributions wouldn鈥檛 be too difficult. Replacing Miller鈥檚 production would be a tougher task but the good news is that you would now have just over $12 million to figure it out.

A concern in this regard would be a very thin free agent class this summer. Some would argue, however, that would be in the Canucks favor, forcing them to make a trade instead of signing an overpriced UFA to replace Miller.

Given the organization鈥檚 commitment to a retool, the only currency they would have to offer would be draft picks.

Hey, I never said the plan would be perfect.

The bottom line is that no matter how the Canucks try to dig themselves out of this salary cap mess, there will be a price to pay.

It鈥檚 just a question of when.

Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob 鈥渢he Moj鈥� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media. And check out his weekly podcast every Monday at or your local Black Press Media website.

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