Meet a New Canuck is a feature Ken Hill (@LWOSPuckHead) and I will be running throughout the off-season as an introduction to the newest members of the Vancouver Canucks. Here’s a look at the subject of our final entry, Ryan Miller.
BIOGRAPHY
During his career as a college player with the Michigan State University Spartans, Ryan Miller was dominant. In 2001, he led the country in wins, save percentage, winning percentage, goals against average and shutouts (his .950 SV% and 10 shutouts are an NCAA record.) He then proceeded to win the Hobey Baker Award.
Miller was drafted 138th overall in the 1999 NHL entry draft by the Buffalo Sabres, where he spent the better part of 11 seasons. In his first American Hockey League season, Miller posted a .920 save percentage, and a 2.34 goals against average, and posted save percentages of .925 and .922 to go with GAA’s of 2.21 and 2.45 before joining the Sabres full time throughout the 2005-06 campaign.
It was quite a solid rookie season in the NHL for Miller, as he finished 11th among eligible goaltenders in goals against average (2.60) and ninth in save percentage (.914). That same season, Miller led the Sabres, unexpectedly, to a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals. That off-season, Miller signed a three-year extension with the Sabres after waving his rights to arbitration. The contract had an AAV of $2.6 million.
The 2006-07 campaign was even more successful for Miller. He was named to the first all-star team as the starting goaltender, and won ten consecutive games to start the season. Despite these successes, Miller’s numbers did drop slightly, posting a 2.72 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.
On October 11th, the second home game of the 2007-08 season, Miller posted a shutout in a 6-0 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. What made this shutout so special, was the fact that it came the day after the death of his cousin Matt, who Miller honors on his helmet.
Miller also had the honor of playing in the first outdoor game played in the United States on January 1st, 2008. The Sabres did lose the game in a shootout to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but Miller was able to stop 24 of 25 shots.
The 2009-10 campaign was perhaps the pinnacle of Ryan Miller’s career. He won the Vezina trophy as the league’s top goaltender, posting a save percentage of .929 and a goals against average of 2.22. In addition to winning the Vezina, Miller was named to the U.S. Olympic team for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He allowed only five goals in the first five games of the tournament (all wins) and shutout both the Swiss in the quarter-finals and the Finns in the semi-finals before eventually losing to Canada in the gold medal game by a score of 3-2.
While Miller’s numbers remained solid since then, they never quite reached the level of his Vezina winning season, posting save percentages of .916, .916, and .915 over the next three seasons. His next best save percentage was, surprisingly, during his final run withe Buffalo Sabres during the 2013-14 season when Miller posted a SV% of .923, despite Buffalo being one of the worst teams in recent history.
That same year, Miller was traded to St. Louis along with Steve Ott in exchange for Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart, a prospect, and a couple of draft picks, with the Blues hope being that Miller was the piece that would put them over the top. He underwhelmed, as his save percentage dropped 20 points. His post-season was even weaker, when he posted a GAA of 2.70 and a dreadful save percentage of .897.
This off-season, Miller signed a three-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks worth $18 million, an AAV of $6 million per season. Many speculate that Miller signed with Vancouver due to the fact that Canucks general manager Jim Benning had a hand in drafting Miller into the NHL back when he worked for the Sabres as a scout.
Miller currently hold the Sabres franchise record for most wins (and losses), most starts, most minutes played, and most saves, while he is behind only the legendary Dominik Hasek in both save percentage and shutouts.
Miller’s Role in Vancouver
As you probably know, the goaltending situation in Vancouver for the last few years has been… interesting to say the least. It started back in the 2011-12 post-season when then head coach Alain Vigneault started Cory Schneider over Roberto Luongo in game four against the Kings, triggering discussion among Canucks and hockey fans alike.
Then, after having Schneider start the entire 2012-13 lockout-shortened campaign, they proceeded to trade him to the Devils. Luongo was the starter for most of the 2013-14 season, then Mike Gillis proceeded to trade him to the Florida Panthers, thinking that Eddie Lack was ready. He wasn’t, so now we’re here, with Ryan Miller.
What Miller brings is experience and a reputation as a reliable starting goaltender at the NHL level. He gives the Canucks the chance to stay competitive within their unforgiving division. Is he in his prime? No, he’s not, but he’s clearly still capable of winning games on a regular basis.
Another thing Miller brings to the table: mentorship. Lack has a lot of upside, as shown by his play most of last season (up until John Tortorella started him for a franchise-high 19 consecutive games), and Miller can act as a mentor for the Swede.
As it stand right now, Miller has the starting job on lock for this season, and probably next season too. However, it’s that third season where there may be a change of the guard. At that point Lack will, in all likelihood, be able to handle that starters position regularly and Miller will either a) be traded or b) be relegated to a backup position. While there were many detractors when Miller’s contract was signed, it’s just the right amount of term and money to be flexible with in the future.
Ryan Miller may not be the goalie he once was, but he’s sure as hell not washed up. Despite a disappointing stint with the Blues, Miller has some gas left in the tank. Signing Miller was a smart move by Benning, one that will ensure that the Canucks stay in the playoff race.
Previous Meet A New Canuck Profiles:
Derek Dorsett
Radim Vrbata
Nick Bonino
Bobby Sanguinetti
Linden Vey
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