Expect a bidding war for Miller soon

[Buffalo Rick]

Buffalo is my second fav team(other than whoever's playing the Flyers tonight), but I just don't see them getting much for him.  In the end they may take less just to get something for him if they think he's gone in free agency.

They would get plenty for Miller for will never let him get away and the same for Steve Ott

[jammer2]

@Hockey Junkie  Well, he has very average stats on a poor team, do you really want me to post where he ranks in GGA and save % again?  He's 33 and a pending UFA, so the Sabres are not in a strong bargaining position. I hope they lose him and get nothing back, would look good on them if they are indeed trying to get the stars and the moon for a goalie past his prime. 

[ruxpin]

@Hockey Junkie   Just wondering out loud, but I think Tatar a 2nd round pick, and a mid level prospect get the job done.

  LOL  I thought Tatar WAS a mid-level prospect.

 

Kidding.  That actually sounds about right.

[ruxpin]

Dream on.   For Miller?  Never.  He would chose Detroit first as he grew up a Wings fan and his mother lives there.  He is a native but he also loves Buffalo.  And he wants to win in Buffalo.  In this day and age rebuilding is done much faster and Buffalo has the ammunition to do so.  And a coach with alot of fire.  I say Miller gets the Gold and stays put

 

 

I think he stays put as well, which was the point to my long-winded posts.   I think the type of trade @jammer2 described is the type they can legitimately expect.   At that point, if I'm the Buffalo GM I, too, have to say "for Miller???"  and just make every effort to sign him.   Because the three choices, I think, are to  1) make that type of trade, 2) Let him walk as a free agent or 3) Resign him and let him backstop the rebuild.  

 

If I'm GM, I try my best to go for Door #3.   If at the deadline it's been made clear he is NOT resigning, I make every attempt at #1.  Because #2 would be a travesty.

[Buffalo Rick]

I think he stays put as well, which was the point to my long-winded posts.   I think the type of trade @jammer2 described is the type they can legitimately expect.   At that point, if I'm the Buffalo GM I, too, have to say "for Miller???"  and just make every effort to sign him.   Because the three choices, I think, are to  1) make that type of trade, 2) Let him walk as a free agent or 3) Resign him and let him backstop the rebuild.  

 

If I'm GM, I try my best to go for Door #3.   If at the deadline it's been made clear he is NOT resigning, I make every attempt at #1.  Because #2 would be a travesty.

Agree with you all the way

[jammer2]

@ruxpin  One factor that nobody has discussed is who would be left in net in Buffalo should Miller depart. This should factor in quite heavily, cause if they don't get close to the tending they are getting now from Miller, they will be a pitiful excuse for a squad and would lose frustrated season ticket holders quicker than Miley Cirus goes through a roll of condoms. Also, should the tending be horrible, it will instill a losing attitude in thier up and coming young stars, which is a less than stellar method of building a winner...Personally, I think they would be ok with Enroth, he has proven to be dependable at least...BUT the real interesting potential star goalie is Hackett. This kid is just a wicked athlete, I believe he is the eventual successor to Miller, so having him break in next year for the easy part of back to backs etc would be great for his development. He's talented enough that he won't return to the AHL next year. ....not sure how long Enroth is signed for.

 

 Apparently, the Sabres think a lot of Hackett as well, I've read they insisted on Hackett being included in the Pomminville trade.

[yave1964]

  I am not a big fan of Hacket, he is tall and rail thin, I watched him only twice this year on line, the Griffins killed him 8-1 in the season opener and then lost a month or so ago to the Griffins again, this time 5-1. He has looked like his rebound control is his weakest area which will only get worse when he faces NHL competition and the shooters get better. I really do not think at 24 in four months that he is much to look at.

  I think as Jammer has pointed out if Miller moves they need a goalie to take his place and a young prospect to take his place seems to be almost a must.

[jammer2]

@yave1964  Just looked up Hackett's AHL stats with Rochester this year, fairly pedestrian....2.92 GGA and .904 save percentage....certainly not great, but not brutal either for a young goalie just being exposed to pro hockey. He may need more seasoning. I've been impressed with him, saw him play a few games for my Spits and lots of looks at him when he played for the Whalers. One game, we beat them 7-1 (spits powerhouse Memorial Cup teams) but he made 62 saves....unreal. He's super smart and wickedly fast. He's gonna have a nice career IMHO.

[flyercanuck]

If I'm Buffalo i take whatever I can get for Miller. Does he really want to stick around and play on an AHL calibre team for 2-3 more years?

 

And not having him gives you even better odds in the McDavid sweepstakes...which would bring in fans a lot more than Ryan Miller would anyhow.

[radoran]

They would get plenty for Miller for will never let him get away and the same for Steve Ott

 

Plenty?? Regehr got a pair of second rounders.

 

I love Steve Ott, but he's not going to garner a big trade bounty. And at 31 he's the type of guy Buffalo should build their squad around for the next 5 years.

[Polaris922]

If I'm Buffalo i take whatever I can get for Miller. Does he really want to stick around and play on an AHL calibre team for 2-3 more years?

And not having him gives you even better odds in the McDavid sweepstakes...which would bring in fans a lot more than Ryan Miller would anyhow.

Exactly! Go after McDavid. Trade away Miller for high picks over the next couple years if you can. I mean... Technically it's not tanking right? Who would ever perceive it as such?? Lol

[flyercanuck]

@Polaris922

 

They're already tanking.They didn't get all those draft picks by going for it. They might as well go full Penguino on it. Kinda tanking just doesn't have the same effect.

[ruxpin]

@Polaris922

They're already tanking.They didn't get all those draft picks by going for it. They might as well go full Penguino on it. Kinda tanking just doesn't have the same effect.

Agreed. Kinda tanking gets you Morin.

[radoran]

Agreed. Kinda tanking gets you Morin.

or JVR

[Polaris922]

@flyercanuck

Sounds very familiar... We just wanna give our young goalies a chance... Lol

@ruxpin

@radoran

Dang winning streaksat the end of the season!

[ihabs1993]

I think the best option for Buffalo, as far as just trying to move him, is Edmonton, The Oilers could give up a good deal for Miller and would still have a somewhat decent rebuild team in front of him. Plus, from the Oilers' perspective, picking up a proven elite goaltender would reestablish the faith of the fan base in their team. Let's face it. The Oilers' goaltending has been awful for years and it doesn't get much better than bringing in an olympic MVP. Potential pieces to go back to Buffalo are Yakupov and their first round pick in this year's draft. Buffalo could draft a goalie or lean on Enroth for the future. Buffalo needs defense, but everyone knows that they're not going to get that from Edmonton. However, Yakupov could just need a fresh start and playing with his fellow countryman, Mikhail Grigerenko, could offer him just that. Plus, there's the added wonder in having two picks in the top five of the draft. This trade seems to work out well for both teams.

At any rate, nothing goes down with Miller until Buffalo actually has a new general manager, and even when that happens, it will still take some time to get done. I think he gets dealt, not at the trade deadline, but between the end of the season and draft day. 

[nossagog]

@Polaris922

 

They're already tanking.They didn't get all those draft picks by going for it. They might as well go full Penguino on it. Kinda tanking just doesn't have the same effect.

 

I see what you did there, but Gary already has a movie deal in place for "Going Full Penguin, and proud of it".

Edited January 9, 2014 by nossagog

[flyercanuck]

@nossagog

 

Any subtle hints toward animosity were purely accidental.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Just taking a shot in the dark, but I am thinking if Miller is moved, that perhaps Washington makes sense.

 

I am not really sure the Caps are sold on either Neuvirth or Holtby being their number one at this time, so Miller could step in and be their number one right away.

 

Caps could ship Michael Neuvirth and the disgruntled Martin Erat, both of whom have years left on their contracts for Miller.

Washington then would go with the combination of Miller backed up by Holtby for now, while Grubauer develops further in the AHL, while Buffalo could then add Neuvirth who could backup or compete with Jonas Enroth for the starting job in Buffalo.

Washington is built to win now, so they may be able to convince Miller to sign on and stay during the off season.

 

Sabres would gain the services of Erat, who could see more ice time in Buffalo and finally find his niche within the ranks of developing Buffalo forwards.

 

Honestly, while Miller is a top flight goaltender, the fact that he is on the last year of his contract and his age vs. what he may be asking for after that contract ends, may curb many teams' interest in him. 

Nothing against his abilities, but rather what the cost will be not only in talent given up, but money in a contract.

 

Thus, I think Buffalo can't really expect too big a return for him.

At this point, a 'bidding war' would be wishful thinking on the part of Sabres fans. Just doesn't look realistic for things to shake out that way.

 

Had Buffalo done something sooner to try to trade Miller, perhaps his potential return would have been much better, as things stand now, unless Buffalo is sure they can convince him to stay and re-sign him, they best get what they can for him.

 

Over in Washington, Miller would STILL be expected to face many shots as the Caps aren't particularly strong defensively (something he is dong alot of already in Buffalo anyways), BUT, he will have the advantage of a very fast and offensive group of forwards and D-men who could possibly get him more goals than Buffalo forwards could, and thus, he doesn't have to worry about getting a shut out or keeping teams to just a single goal every night.

 

Again, didn't hear anything official, just occurred to me that Washington maybe the dark horse to land Miller.

[jammer2]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  If I'm the Sabres, I go for young talent, not Erat. The Caps gave up a young stud in Forsberg to get him....and he has yet to score a goal this year.....on pace for 30 assists and no goals on the season. They have to do better than that if they decide to trade Miller. Perhaps a bigger deal including Miller and Moulson would be perfect at the deadline....but their trading partner would have to possess a lot of cap space.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

i did think about that @jammer2 , (Sabres needing to get more), however, I think the sticking point for any potential trade partner would be that Miller WILL be a UFA, so basically it's a rental, unless said team thinks they can convince Miller to stay on.

 

Right now, the Caps would be the perfect team for a Miller rental, IMO, because they were supposed to have "won" a long time ago and to date, obviously, haven't gotten that elusive Stanley Cup to Washington.

 

They certainly have the offensive firepower, their defense is somewhat suspect, but that's where a goalie like Miller would come in. To bail the team out when they inevitably give up the dozens of scoring chances.

 

As things stand now, Neuvirth, Holtby, or even  Grubauer (though he impressed me in the Lightning game), DO NOT seem capable of being able to stand up to obscene amounts of shots against on a nightly basis...I think Miller can do that.

 

Sure, getting Erat and one of either Holtby or Neuvirth as the other players may not be ideal for Buffalo, and I am with you 1000% Buffalo needs to go younger, but again, I just can't see a team willing to give up a bunch of young talent for a rental...even if that rental is a quality goalie like Ryan Miller.

With all the picks and developing young talent Buffalo has now, they could probably afford to trade Miller for role playing vets like Erat or some others and still be fine in the future, provided they use their picks wisely AND their young players develop as expected.

Edited January 12, 2014 by hf101

[ruxpin]

I think the best option for Buffalo, as far as just trying to move him, is Edmonton, The Oilers could give up a good deal for Miller and would still have a somewhat decent rebuild team in front of him. Plus, from the Oilers' perspective, picking up a proven elite goaltender would reestablish the faith of the fan base in their team. Let's face it. The Oilers' goaltending has been awful for years and it doesn't get much better than bringing in an olympic MVP. Potential pieces to go back to Buffalo are Yakupov and their first round pick in this year's draft. Buffalo could draft a goalie or lean on Enroth for the future. Buffalo needs defense, but everyone knows that they're not going to get that from Edmonton. However, Yakupov could just need a fresh start and playing with his fellow countryman, Mikhail Grigerenko, could offer him just that. Plus, there's the added wonder in having two picks in the top five of the draft. This trade seems to work out well for both teams.

At any rate, nothing goes down with Miller until Buffalo actually has a new general manager, and even when that happens, it will still take some time to get done. I think he gets dealt, not at the trade deadline, but between the end of the season and draft day.

The only problem I have with Edmonton is miller's willingness to go there. Again, if it's a rental, for what purpose for Edmonton?

I just don't see Miller signing there so I think it's a no-go.

I wonder if it will take a three-way.

[Irishjim]

The only problem I have with Edmonton is miller's willingness to go there. Again, if it's a rental, for what purpose for Edmonton?

I just don't see Miller signing there so I think it's a no-go.

I wonder if it will take a three-way.

its well known the oilers are on his limited no trade clause..that ain't happening

Edited January 15, 2014 by Irishjim