Report: Avalanche Traded Rantanen Expecting J.T. Miller, but the Deal Collapsed
The Colorado Avalanche trade plans this season were blown up by JT Miller after he refused to go to the team.
In January, the Colorado Avalanche shocked the hockey world by trading Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Central Division contenders got Martin Necas back in that deal, and he has since proven to be a great addition, but apparently, that is not where the team's plans stopped.
Rather, the Avs had another blockbuster trade in the works. In fact, the team was reportedly in on JT Miller before he got dealt to the New York Rangers.
Apparently, the Avalanche were expecting to get Miller in a trade immediately after they traded Rantanen, which is a big part of the reason why the team made that move.
However, Miller rejected that trading using his trade protection.
Truth be told, the Avalanche should have known Miller has a full no-movement clause, and would have needed to waive it in order to complete the deal.
As such, it is the team's responsibility to ensure that details like that are taken care of before making franchise-altering decisions.
That being said, Miller probably would have much better odds of winning a Stanley Cup if he did decide to join Colorado instead of returning to the team that drafted him.
Of course, it should be noted that NHL players are human beings with real emotions and complicated reasoning.
Winning does not mean everything to everyone, and in Miller's mind, he probably has plenty of good reasons why he chose to return to New York.
Regardless, the Avalanche are still in need of a second-line center, and could be busy again as the trade deadline gets close.
