Who says you can't almost go home?

J.T. Miller was a first-round pick of the New York Rangers in the 2011 NHL draft, debuted with the team less than two years later and spent parts of six seasons on Broadway before heading to Tampa Bay at the 2018 trade deadline and to Vancouver after the 2018-19 season.

But he nearly headed back to Madison Square Garden amid weekend negotiations between the Rangers and Canucks that would have swapped the 31-year-old center–a 103-point scorer last season–for center Filip Chytil, defenseman Ryan Lindgren and maybe a first-round pick before rancor over the pick's protection structure became a hurdle.

A conflict between Miller and teammate Elias Pettersson has prompted the Canucks to explore the market for both players, and, though Miller has a no-movement clause and is signed through 2030, some teams have been given permission to contact him.

The near-deal with New York prompted the B/R hockey team to ponder how it would have shaken out had it actually gone down, winners and losers style. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought or two of your own in the app comments.

Winner: Elias Pettersson

What's better than driving your nemesis out of town?

Pettersson was drafted fifth overall in 2017 and produced a 66-point rookie season in Vancouver before Miller arrived from the Lightning the subsequent summer.

They've helped the Canucks to a Pacific Division title, two playoff appearances and three series victories across five seasons together, but the atmosphere has soured to the point where the partnership may no longer be salvageable.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday that Pettersson has indicated to Vancouver management that he doesn't want to leave British Columbia, which suggests that the would-be deal to send Miller to the Rangers indicates the team's preference for him.

Pettersson signed an eight-year, $92.8 million contract in March but has struggled in 2024-25 and is on pace for just 19 goals and 57 points after averaging better than a point per game across the last two seasons.

Losers: Canucks Management

It makes for juicy headlines for fans and those who revel in midseason transactions, but when a relationship between players sours to the point where one has to be dealt to keep the peace, it's bad news for the guys in the executive offices.

So Canucks GM Patrik Allvin and hockey operations boss Jim Rutherford are dealing from a point of almost zero leverage when it comes to Miller, and the reported haul from the Rangers–Chytil, Lindgren and a pick–would have been a pittance compared to a typical return on a player coming off a 103-point season.

Chytil is a third-liner in New York who's maxed out at 22 goals across parts of seven NHL seasons. Meanwhile, Lindgren has shared the Rangers' top defensive pair with former Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox for five years, but his underlying numbers have been suspect for a season and a half, and he's on course for unrestricted free agency in the summer.

As for the pick, it would likely be a mid-first-rounder at best in a 2025 draft with a few blue-chippers up top but lacking in overall depth compared to recent years.

Loser: Rangers' Youth

It's a different animal for the Rangers in New York, where a rabid fanbase and 24/7 media coverage ratchet the win-now pressure at the expense of trusting younger players.

And considering it's been 31 years since the last Stanley Cup hoist, and this season hasn't exactly been fruitful following last spring's Presidents' Trophy win, it doesn't figure to change.

Former No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kaako became the latest evidence in mid-December when he was dealt to Seattle for a player and two picks in next summer's draft.

Still just 23, the skilled Fiinn struggled for five-plus seasons to find a firm role in New York, where he never averaged more than 15:30 in ice time and peaked at 40 points in 2022-23. He's an instant fit with the Kraken, though, with 13 points in 14 games while averaging a career-high 16:38 alongside Jaden Schwartz and Matty Beniers on the team's top line.

Sending Chytil and Lindren, aged 25 and 26, respectively, to Vancouver for a soon-to-be 32-year-old would have been another example of pulling the plug on youth.

Loser: Chris Drury

The aforementioned pressure and media scrutiny makes the Blueshirt gig a challenge.

Chris Drury experienced that chaos as a player with the Rangers across his last four NHL seasons from 2007 to 2011 and he signed up for it again when he became the team's general manager following the firing of Jeff Gorton in May 2021.

Three seasons, three playoff appearances and four series wins later and Drury is still on the job, but 2024-25 has been a grind considering New York is four points off the Eastern playoff cut line through 46 games after a league-high 55 wins and 114 points last season.

The response? Drury engineered a pair of trades that sent team captain Jacob Trouba to Anaheim for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round pick, then Kakko to Seattle for a player and two picks within 12 days in December.

The Rangers were 7-5-3 in 15 games since the Kakko deal and sat fifth in the Metropolitan Division through Sunday, and the misfire on Miller raises the question of how many more bites at the apple Drury might get?

Winner: Trade Season

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

The 46 days until the arrival of the NHL's trade deadline on March 8 is a chaotic sprint in which teams are seeking the final piece to a championship puzzle, looking to jump from playoff oblivion to a playoff berth, or stockpiling assets with an eye on the future.

No fewer than 47 deals were made in the final 46 days before last season's deadline.

The Rangers could best be positioned in the middle of those three tiers and there's no doubt that finalizing the deal for Miller–a one-time All-Star and a three-time 30-goal scorer–would have left the deal-making types to frothing at the mouth for what was still to come over the next six weeks.

Gentlemen, start your transactions.