The Vancouver Canucks are not the only NHL club that is facing a peculiar situation when it comes to their starting goaltender.
As we get closer to the start of the 2013-14 season, the Buffalo Sabres are unsure of what is going to happen with their starting netminder Ryan Miller. Miller’s contract expires at the end of next season and the Sabres are currently trying to figure out a way to trade him so they can get some value back.
Unfortunately for the Sabres, team GM Darcy Regier has had trouble finding suitors for Miller, which is troublesome for the franchise. Things are not exactly looking up in Buffalo and if the team were to let him walk away at the end of season, fans just might not be willing to come back the following season.
While the Sabres do not know what is going to happen with Miller or where he might end up, we have a few destinations in mind that might be the right fit for Miller if Regier could make a deal with the following teams:
Edmonton Oilers
It has become increasingly clear that Miller needs a new challenge.
Playing for the Edmonton Oilers would certainly be just that for Miller. The Oilers are a young and talented club that could use a consistent, stable, and veteran goaltender to help get this team back into the postseason, something they have not done since they went to the Stanley Cup final in 2006.
The Oilers’ have a young blue line that could use a calming influence between the pipes and Miller might just be the answer for Edmonton.
Vancouver Canucks
With the Luongo situation being unclear right now, the team might end up needing a starting goaltender if it does not end up working out for Luongo and Canucks’ general manager Mike Gillis.
While Miller obviously has not played against or seen the Canucks much, he is more than familiar with playing in Vancouver. In Feburary of 2010, Miller played perhaps his best hockey en route to a Silver Medal at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
May be Miller could rejuvenate his whole game playing at the Rogers Arena.
Florida Panthers
Last season, the Florida Panthers were the worst defensive team in the entire league.
While the blame cannot solely be placed on Panthers’ netminders Scott Clemmensen, Jacob Markstrom and Jose Theodore, there is no doubt that the Panthers need a true starting goaltender if they want to get back into the postseason. While Markstrom is still young at just 23 years of age, he is not ready for prime time as a starting masked man just yet.
In steps Ryan Miller. With Miller’s experience and confidence between the pipes, he can keep a young Panthers’ club focused on what they need to do offensively (29th in the league) and allow Miller to do what he does best and that is keep his team in the hockey game.
