Miller's agent: There's a 'realistic path' for extension with Canucks

After months of hearing his name crop up in trade rumors, versatile forward J.T. Miller is still a member of the Vancouver Canucks and, according to his agent, Brian Bartlett, he wouldn't necessarily mind keeping it that way.

"I do think there's a realistic path for an extension with the Canucks," Bartlett said, according to The Athletic's Harman Dayal. "J.T. loves it in Vancouver. He feels like the team is improving, he loved his role there, his family likes the city.

"He would be on board with an extension. The part that we can't answer is at what value or level the team places on him. From our end, from J.T.'s end, there's a path forward on an extension, but it takes two to tango, I guess."

Miller had a stellar 2021-22 campaign in his third full season in Vancouver, potting a career-high 32 goals and 67 assists to lead the Canucks with 99 points.

He can become an unrestricted free agent next offseason and has likely earned a handsome raise compared to his current team-friendly $5.25-million cap hit.

Sources told Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli earlier this month that the Canucks and Miller's camp are far apart in negotiations. President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said in April that Vancouver would know by the draft if it could keep Miller long term.

Despite the trade speculation, Bartlett made it clear that Miller hasn't asked for an out.

General manager Patrik Allvin said he believes the team has made a fair offer to retain Miller's services, noting that he has a bit more time to come to a resolution.

"Well, in a perfect world, I'd love to get it solved before the season either way," Allvin said, per Dayal. "But I think that's in a perfect world, and we all know we're not living in a perfect world regarding pro sports. Our hard deadline is the trading deadline at this point, but I'm hopeful that we'll come to a solution here."

Allvin added the organization would need to discuss its direction if Miller doesn't have an extension leading up to the deadline.

Miller's camp said it's willing to continue negotiating throughout the year.

Selected by the New York Rangers in the first round of the 2011 draft, Miller has 454 points in 637 career NHL games.

The Canucks have some other key deals looming on the horizon. Captain Bo Horvat is also entering the final season of his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent, while Elias Pettersson can become a restricted free agent after the 2023-24 campaign.