Consider me one of the many people who were shocked to see the Canucks lock up JT Miller on a 7-year 56-million-dollar extension. The rhetoric surrounding the new management regime was that they wanted cap flexibility. They didn’t want to pigeonhole themselves with bad contracts in the long term, as they build around this young and exciting talent pool. Priority was keeping the options open for future trade deadlines or summer transactions. This patient trajectory made sense to me, as the Canucks watched their rival Calgary Flames ink 32-year-old Nazim Kadri to a massive 7-year deal that probably won’t look very good for those last couple of years. Fools! I thought to myself. There is no way the Canucks are going to travel down that path after everything said to the media this summer.

Think again.

Much to my chagrin, they decided to quietly pivot and sign a 30-year-old forward to a deal that has many wondering if it will be the contract anchor that was feared in a few years. All current Canuck media statements make it clear they want JT as a part of this franchise for the full eight years. Can we trust those quotes after what transpired with this signing?

The reality is Miller does not have a no-trade clause as he plays out the final year of his current contract, even though the Canucks could have negotiated one. With a fresh contract that is fairly movable to the right market, is there a scenario where the club signs and then trades Miller at the deadline? It seems far-fetched, but I won’t take management’s word that they won’t. If they are telling the truth and Miller plays out most of his front-loaded contract, the buyout options in years six and seven are palatable, especially with the cap expected to go up in a couple of years.

The fact of the matter is: I love the player. What I don’t love is how it seems like management felt cornered enough to do what they said they wouldn’t all summer. Colour me intrigued with how this plays out before Miller starts playing on his new deal.