Metropolitan Notes: Miller, Zuccarello, Calvert, Devils, Capitals

The Rangers are receiving plenty of interest in center J.T. Miller and winger Mats Zuccarello, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link).  However, he adds that the offers haven’t been enough to suggest a trade is likely.  New York is in full selloff mode and have already dealt their top pending unrestricted free agents so now the focus shifts to players under team control beyond this season.  Miller is set to be a restricted free agent this summer with a $2.75MM qualifying offer while Zuccarello is making $4.5MM through 2018-19.  The two players lead the Rangers in scoring this season with Zuccarello recording 43 points and Miller 40.

Elsewhere in the Metropolitan:

• The Blue Jackets have yet to engage in extension talks with pending UFA winger Matt Calvert, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription required). The 28-year-old is the longest-tenured player with the team after they drafted him back in the fifth round back in 2008.  Calvert has spent most of this season in a bottom-six role and has seven goals with ten assists in 50 games in 2017-18 while logging 13:50 per night in ice time and is making $2.2MM this season.
• After picking up Michael Grabner last week, Andrew Gross of The Record suggests that the Devils are likely to be quiet today as GM Ray Shero may be hesitant to part with more future assets. However, that could change if they could find a way to add to their back end.
• Another team likely to be inactive before the deadline is the Capitals, reports Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post. The Caps have already made a pair of depth moves to shore up the depth on their back end with the acquisitions of Michal Kempny and Jakub Jerabek last week and while they have some flexibility when it comes to waiver-exempt players that could be sent down to free up cap space, they do not appear interested in moving anyone off their current roster which will limit what they’re able to do.