Updated:
For a guy who was jet-lagged and road weary, you sure wouldn't know it by the way that Ryan Miller played on Tuesday night. Typical Miller to cover up blemish after mistake that his teammates created only to have him erase it all with a splendid save or six. Miller was vintage Miller in the 3-2 come from behind win over Carolina.
Was it Miller's last official home game as a Buffalo Sabre? It sure felt that way.
I suspect his last game in blue and gold will be Friday night against the San Jose Sharks.
Miller said Tuesday night that its probably best for the team and himself if he were to be traded away at the NHL trade deadline. Earlier Tuesday night, Sabres GM Tim Murray said that its not realistic for Miller to re-sign in Buffalo considering his age and his career achievements. Miller will be 34 years old this summer. He's earned the right to play for a winner. Not to say that Buffalo isn't capable of winning in a few years. Why would he stay and be a party to the re-build? The next contract that Miller signs will be his last one.
Murray is going to trade Miller to a Stanley Cup contender.
Thanks, Sabres.com
Following Buffalo's 3-2 come from behind win over Carolina, Sabres head coach Ted Nolan was asked to comment on the Ryan Miller trade narrative that began earlier Tuesday night when Sabres GM Tim Murray said that both sides will pursue a "proper trade" for the former Vezina goaltender and 12 year veteran. Nolan is normally poised, confident and passionate in his dealings with the media. On this night, it appeared to me that Nolan was a bit preoccupied and perhaps upset to hear the news that Miller will be moving on from Buffalo in the near future. Nolan out of character. Ted's the master motivator and the best "glass half full guy" that I know. To see the intense, raw emotion in his eyes and on his face tells me all that I need to know. Ryan Miller will be traded in the near future.
Thanks, Sabres.com
Nolan has been an ardent, vocal supporter of Miller's ever since he took over the interim head coaching position when Ron Rolston and Darcy Regier were fired on November 12. Life without Miller will take a lot of getting used to. The Sabres will coach, the players, and the fans will have to learn to live without the 12 year veteran. It won't be easy in the short term
Lets just relish the memories and the good times for now.
_____________________________________________________________________
Before Tuesday night’s game, Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray spoke candidly and openly about Ryan Miller, Steve Ott and the NHL trade market that is forming for his pending UFAs.
Suffice to say, there is a lot of demand in the market for his unrestricted players heading into the NHL trade deadline.
Murray stood in the pocket confidently and slipped the media pass rush. Finally, he added context and clarity to the months long Ryan Miller saga.
If there were questions about his intentions before the presser, he laid them all to waste. In the aftermath, he said that Ryan Miller will not be re-signing with the Sabres. Instead, he will be traded to a contending team. Murray said that its the goal of both sides to find a "proper trade" for Miller in the days to come.
Here's Murray:
Thanks, Sabres.com
Will he stay or will he go?
Looks like Miller is going. So too mat be some of Buffalo's other key contributors.
“I don’t know how you quantify which guy’s expressed most interest in, which player, but there’s been interest in a lot of players….
Murray said that re-signing Ryan Miller is possible, however, its not a realistic option right now.
“I mean, its realistic, but its not the route that we’re looking at right now. The route we’re looking at is to get value for him. To put him in a position to succeed and however you want to describe him here in all the years he’s been here, he’s been a good soldier or whatever and I think I’ve said this before, if you look at the teams that I’ve been with in the past that we have done that. Players that treat you right and have played well and hard for you over the years, you try to do what’s best for them as long as it fits with what you’re doing. By trading Ryan to a contender, a good team that that maybe only lacking in his in his position, you’ve certainly not done a disservice to him, and helped the organization in our own right. So, our goal right now I think on both sides is to pursue the proper trade….
Murray often references the trading of Mike Fisher from Ottawa to Nashville when speaking of Miller's current situation in Buffalo. If the player is good to the organization, and Fisher was brilliant in Ottawa, then the team obliged his wishes top be traded to Nashville so that he could be closer to his superstar wife Carrie Underwood. Fisher scratched Ottawa's back. Ottawa scratched Fisher's back.
Miller should expect the same treatment in the coming days.
Murray was asked if Miller interested in signing an extension in Buffalo right now?
“No interest? I don’t know if there’s no interest, I know what I think his first choice would be. I don’t think signing here is his first choice at his age, where we’re at 30th place team, but I wouldn’t say he’s got no interest, no.… Murray said that the compensation that the Sabres receive in exchange for Miller will have to par excellence.
So, then. What type of compensation is Murray looking for in exchange for Miller?
“Ideally, in a perfect world, if a team would give me two real good young players who are two years into their development, that would be outstanding. But, I don’t think teams will bend over backwards to make life easier for us. Its going to be the determination to be made what the best deal offered to us. If its draft picks, its draft picks then we’ll turn them into draft choices. Ideally, players that are a little bit along in their development would be great.…
Ryan Miller's suitors have been warned to put up or shut up.
If Washington wants Miller, they will have to part with Braden Holtby and Andre Burkkowsky, or Tom Wilson.
If St. Louis wants Miller, they should be prepared to surrender Ty Rattie and a first rounder.
If Minnesota wants Miller, they will have to part with Mikael Granlund.
__________________________________________________________________________
Regarding Steve Ott:
“Steve Ott is the type of player that I’ve looked for for 21 years, right? In drafting.. the type of person, the type of player he plays the game the way he conducts himself. That’s not the type of player that I want to trade away. That’s the type of players I want to bring in. Unfortunately, when I got here, he’s at his age and he’s an unrestricted free agent, so he has every right to, whether he’s traded or not by the end of the year to pursue other opportunities or to see just how much other teams when they say they want him, how much does that translate into dollars spent or whatever. That’s the type of guy that I in the past that I don’t try to get rid of. We’re not a playoff team so that changes the dynamic on this team."
There are a dozen teams in the press box tonight watching Steve Ott perform his warrior charm. Otter has commanded a huge amount of inquiries from rival GMs. Murray reserves the right to trade Ott now as a rental for high compensation, then re-sign his as a UFA in July. No other team will be able to play Ott $4.5-$5 million per season like the Sabres will for the next five seasons. Ott loves Buffalo. Buffalo loves Ott. He may take a four month vacation from Buffalo then come back as a UFA signee.
______________________________________________________________________
Greetings from the Ted Darling Memorial Press Box at First Niagara Center.
The Sabres host the Hurricanes tonight in the make-up game of the "Polar Vortex" nightmare from January.
The press box will be loaded tonight with scouts and front office-types from NHL teams looking to buy and sell with the Sabres, and Canes, at the March 5 NHL trade deadline.
Ted Nolan will send his ace Ryan Miller to the crease tonight. Miller will likely sit out tomorrow night vs. Boston, and will start against San Jose on Friday night. Fellow pending UFAs Steve Ott and Matt Moulson will be in the lineup, too. Hank Tallinder, a UFA to be, will sit out tonight.
Scouts likely mobilized to attend this game due to the fact that its the only show in the NHL tonight. Also, several teams have experienced serious injuries to key players and are looking for suitable replacements.
Take for example Detroit where Henrik Zetterberg underwent surgery on the herniated disc in his back and will be missed for a minimum of two months, if not more. The Wings have made the playoffs 22 seasons in a row and 27 of the past 29 seasons. Think Mike Babcock and Ken Holland are going to go down without a fight?
How about Vancouver? They are in need of a top six forwad. Ryan Kesler suffered a hand injury blocking a shot vs. Russia in the semifinals at the Sochi Olympics. Henrik Sedin also missed the Olympics due to his chronic injury.
Other teams need to address their respective goaltending situations like Washington, St. Louis, and Minnesota.
Others, like LA and Pittsburgh need to address goal scoring in a big bad way.
Among the teams to be represented here tonight are:
Washington (Looking at Miller? Ott?) St. Louis (Looking at Miller? Ott? Moulson?) Minnesota (Looking at Miller?) Los Angeles (Looking at Moulson?) Vancouver (Looking at Ott?) Pittsburgh (Looking at Moulson?) Montreal (Looking at Moulson? Tallinder?) Columbus (Looking at Ott? Moulson? Stafford?)) Toronto (Looking at Ott?) Tampa (Looking at Moulson? Tallinder?) Detroit (Looking at Ott? Moulson?) Ottawa(Looking at Moulson? Ott? Tallinder?) Edmonton (Looking at Stafford?) Chicago (Looking at Moulson? Ott?) Philly (Looking at Ott?) New Jersey (Looking at Moulson?) Nashville (Looking at Moulson?)
I realize that scouts are watching players on both teams. The Hurricanes are fighting for their playoff lives right now and may be in a selling posture at this time next week. However, they may be looking to add depth in their top six and on their blue line.
More to come...
_____________________________________________________________________