With all the injuries that the team has suffered this season, the Boston Bruins have had to make adjustments to their roster. It seems like it has been a very long time since we have seen a fully healthy team and with certain players suffering season ending injuries, including Dennis Seidenberg, we won’t see a healthy roster for the rest of the season. The Burins will just have to make do with what they have.
A main issue of concern for the Bruins this season has been on the blueline. Its seems that they just can’t seem to keep their defencemen healthy. Johnny Boychuk was the first of the Bruins defense corps to go to the sidelines, being injured in late October. In November, the next defenseman to go down was Adam McQuaid. He suffered what the team called a lower body injury (it was a groin injury) and missed several weeks. All was not lost though, as the team began the year with eight defencemen, so they were able to still dress six healthy regulars. This all ended a few days later when Seidenberg also suffered a lower body injury.
At the time that Seidenberg was injured the other two defenders were still doubtful to play in the immediate future, and so the Bruins had no choice but to call up a defenceman from Providence Bruins (on November 20th). This defenseman was twenty-six year old from California, Kevan Miller.
Miller played his first game at the TD Garden on November 21st, seeing almost eighteen minutes of ice time that night. Two nights later he played again, recording less ice time but having a stronger game overall. He even had two more shots on net then he did during his first game. He began to show that he was comfortable playing a bottom pairing role in the NHL.
He played one more game before the return of some of the injured players meant he was sent back to Providence on November 28th. However, with the way the Bruins were losing defencemen to injury, most fans knew that it wouldn’t be long before he was back in the NHL. He was called up again on December 2nd on an emergency basis as McQuaid suffered a setback after his return to the lineup.
When Boychuk injured his back in Montreal, Miller returned to the lineup for the Bruins on December 7th. The following day Miller scored his very first NHL goal, helping the Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. He also ended up with a minor concussion after a hard hit from Dion Phaneuf near the end of the game.
During an interview later the coach said it was nothing to worry about and he would most likely play after a couple of days rest. This was the case as he rejoined the team a few days later for their next game. In that game, on December 12th, Miller recorded his first NHL assist.
A few games later not all the defenceman were healthy but a decision on Miller was needed. The Bruins then decided to send him back to Providence because he would need to re-clear waivers in order to return to the AHL if he continued to stay in the lineup.
So with Miller down, the Bruins called up David Warsofsky from Providence. He played four games and even scored a goal. However when it was revealed that Seidenberg’s injury was worse than originally thought, and that he would miss the remainder of the season Warsofsky went back to Providence and Millar made his way back to Boston.
It was said in an interview that the next time he was called up he would remain on the team and this is now the case for the defenceman.
Miller signed a two-year contract with the Bruins lasting until the 2015-2016 season. He may not be the fastest player but he is a guy the team has been looking for. He has a good body size, makes good checks, can score goals, block shots and even knows the proper time to fight.
Since day one of being called up to the big club, Miller has proven himself worthy of a spot in the lineup. So as of right now he is now the newest addition to the Boston Bruins and expected to finish the season with the big club. For a 26-year-old who could not crack the NHL full-time before this year, he has shown that all he ever really needed was the chance to play.
*Fun fact* So far the only defenceman who has yet to miss a game this season is Torey Krug.
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