The Central Division leading St. Louis Blues felt that they needed to add a vital piece or two to their already skilled lineup in order to capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. On Friday night, they did just that.
Team USA Olympic goaltender Ryan Miller and forward Steve Ott were traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Blues in exchange for Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart, prospect William Carrier, a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, and a third-rounder in 2016. Both unrestricted free agents at the end of this season, Miller will wear his familiar No. 39 while Ott will don number 29 with the Blues.
Miller is 15-22-3 this season with a goals-against-average of 2.72 and a .923 save percentage, thanks in large part to a lackluster defensive core in Buffalo. He has amassed a franchise record 284 victories in 540 contests, suiting up for the Sabres his entire NHL career. Despite his spectacular play over the years, he hasn’t qualified for the playoffs in three seasons.The 2010 Vezina Trophy winner was just recently passed over by Team USA Head Coach Dan Bylsma as Jonathan Quick was awarded the starting job in Sochi.
Ryan Miller has a lot to prove in St. Louis.
With an impressive, shut-down defensive system implemented in front of him, the sky is the limit for Miller. The 33-year-old is hoping to make a deep run into the postseason and has high hopes for his new club.
“I am very excited for an opportunity to have a new adventure,” Miller told reporters in Buffalo. “I have a strong sense that (St. Louis) has a very special team.”
The Blues also add more to an element they are famous for in gritty forward Steve Ott. The 31-year-old has 9 goals and 11 assists in 59 games this season. Before being traded to St. Louis, Ott held the “C” in Buffalo after co-captain Thomas Vanek was traded to the New York Islanders in October. A well-known pest around the league, Ott will not make any new friends in the Western Conference while wearing the blue note. Like Miller, Ott is eager for a new start with the Blues.
“I’m really excited to have this opportunity with St. Louis,” Ott told reporters. “My dream and my biggest goal is to have a chance at a Stanley Cup.”
But what does this mean for a St. Louis squad that hasn’t made it out of the second round of the playoffs since the 2000-2001 season?
For starters, it shows that owner Tom Stillman and the rest of the Blues ownership are devoted to making this organization better. Last season, they landed iron-man defenseman Jay Bouwmeester at the trade deadline, a move that has deeply impacted their play this season. They have kept the core of T.J. Oshie, David Backes, and Alexander Steen intact. Not much stood between them and a Stanley Cup just a year ago.
After being eliminated from the 2013 Playoffs in the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Los Angeles Kings, a familiar question lingered into the Blues locker room come training camp: who is the starting goaltender?
Inconsistent play all season long from both Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott forced General Manager Doug Armstrong to set out and bring in an elite goalie to further escalate them into the upper-echelon of NHL teams before Wednesday’s trade deadline. Not just any elite goalie, however, as Armstrong revealed Friday after the deal was finalized:
“We were not in the goaltending market,” Armstrong said. “It was Miller or we were comfortable with our two guys.”
This trade puts the Blues in a position they have been unfamiliar with for quite some time. They now have a set number one netminder in between the pipes, and it will interesting to see how much time Elliott will see in a backup role in the upcoming future.
St. Louis has made it clear that they are determined and willing to win it all this year, but only time will tell if this deal can help the Blues accomplish that goal.
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