Jan 27, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Pius Suter (24) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the second period at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The Vancouver Canucks were a busy team leading into the weekend making a pair of trades that should help push back into the playoff picture. In the matter of just a few hours, the Canucks sent J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers in exchange for Filip Chytil and acquired Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Miller trade was a necessary move as an ongoing feud between him and Canucks teammate Elias Pettersson reached a tipping point. One of the two had to go and the front office decided it would be Miller.
With tensions cooled in the dressing room and useful pieces joining the lineup, the Canucks are almost ready for the push to the playoffs. According to Satiar Shah of Sportsnet 650, the Canucks aren't done adding pieces.
According to Shah, the Canucks have turned their attention to adding a young forward who can bring a ton of production to the lineup.
"Canucks now focused on acquiring an impact forward," Shah said in a tweet. "Preference is a player in the mid 20s range that can grow with the core. The main asset they now have is cap space to take on a contract plus their own assets they didn't have to use to acquire a top 4 D."
The Canucks offense has been struggling all season with defenseman Quinn Hughes leading the team in scoring with 59 points (14G-45A) in 47 games. Miller was the second-leading scorer with nine goals and 26 assists for 35 points.
There is reason to believe the feud between Miller and Pettersson may have been holding the Canucks offense back. Now with Miller in New York, there is reason for the Canucks to hit a new gear for their push to the playoffs.
Even if the current roster starts firing on all cylinders, adding a young offensive producer will only help the Canucks in the long run.