After a summer of trade rumors, it seems that GT Miller The saga has come to an end. Vancouver Canucks announce Today their star center has signed a seven-year, $56 million contract that holds $8 million USD.
As mentioned earlier, this deal comes after an unexpected period in which Miller, who was set to hit an unrestricted free agency next summer, has been a frequent target of all kinds of business rumors and speculation. Last month , we covered How Miller’s representation made it clear that they will cut off all contract talks once the 2022-23 season begins. So, the upcoming deadline may have moved the pace of contract talks forward. The Canucks may have cared about what happened to the Calgary Flames with their attacking star, Johnny Goudreu Goudreau took a similar stance last season and cut extension talks once the 2021-22 season started. Gaudreau left for Columbus in the summer, and Flames had to scramble to find a replacement as a result.
With this extension signed, the Canucks avoided a similar fate. This deal is of paramount importance to the Canucks. First and foremost, they locked up their central star for what could end up being the rest of his playing days. Miller will be 30 when the contract begins, and by the time it ends he may be at or near the end of his NHL career.
With that in mind, the seven-year period might interest fans of the Canucks. It is unlikely that Miller will be worth the $8 million cap he will rule when he turns 35. However, it is not certain that he will be a passive player, and the expected rise to the cap could limit the damage of this deal in her later years. If Miller could age gracefully like Claude GiroudFor example, who secured a three-year deal capped at $6.5 million despite turning 35 in January, the duration would be less significant. But he will need to stay at his best in order to do so.
However, the benefit of this seven-year term is that the maximum deal is lower than some might expect for a player of Miller’s caliber. Miller was very productive last season, scoring 32 goals and 99 points in 80 games. He was an elite offensive force, demonstrating the ability to take over transformations and raise the level of play of his comrades.
If Miller could continue to produce at roughly a point-per-game rate, Miller would be paid less than $8 million. Miller hit less than the center of the sharks Thomas Hertlewho scored 74 points at the highest level of his career, identical to those of Ryan Johansson, who has crossed the 70-point plateau only once in his career. Simply put, Miller’s market value is higher than the $8 million he’s paying, which, At least in the short to medium termCanucks wins. It is only the last few years of this transaction that poses the greatest downside risk.
Looking at this more broadly, the contract has major implications for the Canucks franchise as a whole. This is not an extension that the team signs up for if they are looking to bring back the tool or rebuild. This is an extension that the team signs when they want to capitalize on the next few years. With this extension, it appears that the Canucks have given themselves the green light to act in a win-win manner in the short term. For the franchise still waiting for its first Stanley Cup win, this is a reasonable choice.
The challenge for the Canucks comes with this decade in terms of how it affects the rest of GM Patrik Allvin’s roster creation. Team captain and second midfield, Bo Horvat, scheduled to hit free agency next summer. With the Miller extension now, Elias Peterson Capable of playing the position, and other long-term contracts already on their books Queen HughesAnd the Oliver Ekman LarsonAnd the Conor GarlandAnd the Ilya MikheevWill the Canucks be able to finish the Horvat extension? Should they?
This is a problem that the team will have to solve after next season, and perhaps the answer can come in the form of getting rid of relatively high-priced mid-squad players like Tanner Pearson And the Jason Dickinson. For this season, the coach is delegated Bruce Bodro Obvious: Win as many matches as possible and try to go in a playoff. There are those who think it would be best to offer the Canucks to go into a rebuilding, and with this contract, it’s clear that’s not the direction the organization will take.
Will you work for them? At this point, we don’t know. But what we do know is that the Canucks have found a way to retain one of their most talented players for what may end up being the rest of his playing days.
There will be those who will not like the cost of this contract or the attached term, and that is understandable. keep GT MillerCanucks’ services will cost a lot of money over the next few years, and the team’s front office has chosen to accept the enormous risks of this commitment. But if Alvin and team boss Jim Rutherford wanted to give the Canucks the best possible chance of winning the Stanley Cup in the next two seasons, there would be no other choice they could make.
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