It's time to finally close the book on the extended J.T. Miller saga.
The final domino in the trade that sent the former Canuck to New York is set to be resolved in the coming days at the NHL Draft after the Rangers opted to send their 12th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins rather than defer it to 2026, the teams announced on Tuesday.
In what turned into a three-team trade, the Canucks dealt Miller to the Rangers along with defencemen Jackson Dorrington and Erik Brannstrom in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and New York's 2025 first-rounder, which came with a top-13 protection.
Afterwards, that pick was flipped to the Penguins along with Danton Heinen, Vincent Desharnais and Melvin Fernstrom in exchange for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor.
The protection on the pick would've deferred the selection to the 2026 draft since the Rangers were set to pick 12th in this upcoming draft. Instead, they opted to relinquish this year's pick and keep next year's.
Miller, playing in his second stint with the Rangers, recaptured some of his form after the highly publicized trade from Vancouver. The 31-year-old netted 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points in 32 games back in the Big Apple.
Despite his individual success, the Rangers were unable to make the post-season and finished with a 39-36-7 record.
Pittsburgh finished the season below New York with the second-worst record in the Metropolitan Division at 34-36-12.
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