Shutdown Pair

Tag: Ryan Miller

  • Backing Up Miller

    The backup goalie spot for the Buffalo Sabres is an interesting question for next season.  Barring injury, you can probably pencil Miller in for 65-70 starts again in the regular season, leaving 10-15 for whoever the backup is.  There are a few trains of thought out there as to who that should be.

    1. See if Jhonas Enroth is ready.  He’s progressed well at the AHL level (2.37 GAA, .919 SP last season), and could be a solid, inexpensive option for next year.  A bit more of a wild-card than an established vet, but more upside.
    2. Trade Enroth for a top-6 forward (center?) or D-man (if neither Hank nor Toni re-sign I imagine) and sign a vet backup.  I call this the Marty Biron, as that’s who most folks want back as the backup.  Probably costs a bit more than Enroth, but wouldn’t be a huge cap hit.
    3. Keep Enroth in the AHL and sign a vet backup.  Could still be Marty, Enroth would play more, but with Miller here long-term, it may be better to try and get something for Jhonas, especially with the number of teams that have goalie questions.

    Stick-tap to TheFinnishLine on Twitter for the idea of trading Enroth, as I hadn’t thought of it.  The more I think about it, the more I like the idea.  Miller is our guy, and Enroth could net us (with a pick or a prospect or two) a new center to drop next to Vanek, or a top-4 defender to fill in for Hank or Toni if neither comes back.  I’d lean toward the forward myself, and give some of the Portland guys a try on the back line, but either way it wouldn’t bother me.  If they can’t make a trade, I think I’d want him here as the backup, and not with the Pirates.  I don’t think he’s going to get too much better there, and having a mentor like Ryan Miller could be good for him.

  • Sabres and Respect

    As usually happens, as soon as the cup was awarded, you started seeing odds for who was going to win next season getting thrown around.  So I took a look to see where Buffalo ranks, and they (as of this morning) sat at 18/1.  Not in the top tier, with teams like Chicago, Pittsburgh, or San Jose (ha), but solidly in the second tier.  Where they should be, most likely, based on the talent we think will return.

    What I want to know is, will the Sabres be considered a true threat next season?  Buffalo was a division leader, had a respectable if not spectacular scoring differential, and has Ryan Miller.  But you KNOW that the top ‘Cup Contenders’ everyone will mention in the East are Pittsburgh and Washington, with yet more obsessive coverage of Crosby and Ovechkin.  Olympian Miller might get Buffalo some more pub and national notice, but I think our guys will have to seriously outperform WAS/PIT for a long stretch to get put in their category.  And, you know, get back on NBC.

    Whatever else happens this offseason, I am expecting this team to be the division winner again.  Let’s see if anyone outside of Western New York has any opinions, or if the extent of it will be “oh hey, yeah, the Sabres, they’ll be OK, I guess…”.

  • Well-deserved Honors for Miller

    First off, USA Hockey is going to give Ryan Miller their Bob Johnson Award for excellence in international competition.  Here’s the scoop from the Buffalo News:

    Miller was named the top goaltender and most valuable player of February’s Games in Vancouver. He posted a tournament-best .946 save percentage in six games, and his 1.35 goals-against average was the lowest in U.S. Olympic history.

    The award, named after the legendary coach, will be presented during USA Hockey’s annual congress to be held Thursday through June 13 in Colorado Springs, Colo.

    Miller is also a finalist for the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, up against Sidney Crosby and Shane Doan.  When you throw in his Silver Medal, and Vezina trophy candidacy (should’ve had Hart nom too), Ryan might just need to expand the trophy case.

  • Ryan Miller on Stanley Cup Finals Game One Broadcast

    As noted by Steve Lepore over at Puck the Media, Ryan Miller will be a guest analyst on NBC’s coverage of Game One of the Stanley Cup finals tomorrow night.  Miller will be alongside Pierre McGuire and Mike Milbury. As Sabres fans know, Ryan is a deep thinker and a student of the game, so we should be in for a treat (especially compared to Mike “hit ’em with your shoe” Milbury).  And hey, smart move by NBC, leveraging one of their Olympic stars.  Might’ve been a tiny bit more effective if the Sabres had, you know, been on NBC after the Olympics.  Stick tap to DaveDavisHockey on twitter for leading me to this story.

  • The Untouchables

    Looking at the Sabres roster as it stands right now, before free agent signings, I’m trying to figure out who is ‘Untouchable’.  Who will not be traded no matter the offer (even if it’s 10 first-round picks)?  The list is short:

    • Ryan Miller – A great goalie, and the one true international star we have, thanks to the Olympics.
    • Tyler Myers – Barring something insane happening next year with his production, he’s the one guy I’d sign to one of thos ridiculous 8+ year deals.
    • Thomas Vanek – Our one true goal scorer, on a big contract.  Don’t know about you, but I’m keeping the 40+ goal guy (with a good center ice guy)
    • Paul Gaustad – Future captain, faceoff ninja, fan favorite. 

    There are a few others that are in that category by default (rookies on their ELC, just-signed Mike Grier) but that’s really it.  Seems like there should be more than that.  I can think of 4+ forwards alone on many teams.  I wonder if other teams view their rosters the way I do, though.  I know the Pensblog boys have been having fun with all the ‘Trade Malkin!’ articles that popped up after their playoff ouster.  I can think of a bunch of guys I’d keep if I were Pittsburgh, just not sure they’d agree.

    If you have any others that fit in there for Buffalo, let me know.