Josie Lepe/AP Photo
Vegas Golden Knights’ Colin Miller smiles after his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Friday, April 12, 2019, in San Jose, Calif. On June 28, 2019, the Golden Knights traded Miller to the Buffalo Sabres for a couple of future draft picks.
Published Friday, June 28, 2019 | 3:21 p.m.
Updated Friday, June 28, 2019 | 4:17 p.m.
The next domino in the Vegas Golden Knights’ quest to get under the salary cap fell Friday afternoon, as the team traded defenseman Colin Miller to the Buffalo Sabres.
The Golden Knights will receive a 2021 second-round pick originally owned by the St. Louis Blues and the Sabres' own 2022 fifth-round pick in return, the team announced.
Miller signed a four-year contract last summer with annual cap hit of $3.875 million. With the Golden Knights up against the cap and with a surplus of defenseman, and with Miller having a no-trade clause kicking in next year, a deal involving him was long speculated.
Miller also appeared to fall out of favor with Vegas, sitting Game 1 of the first-round playoff series as a healthy scratch. He did return and play the rest of the games in the series.
The move leaves the Golden Knights an estimated $900,000 over the cap, with David Clarkson’s $5.225 million ready to be shed after he's placed on long-term injured reserve. Vegas now has 18 players on the roster and still needs to sign restricted free agents Nikita Gusev, Tomas Nosek, Malcolm Subban and Jimmy Schuldt.
Miller, a right-handed power-play specialist, had a disappointing season with three goals and 29 points in 65 games this year, after 10 goals and 41 points in his first season in Vegas. The goals disappeared, but his assists per game went up slightly.
The Golden Knights still have Nate Schmidt, Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, Nick Holden and Jon Merrill as defensemen under contract for next season, with Deryk Engelland an unrestricted free agent. Miller does create a deficit of right-handed defensemen, as all the players currently on the roster are lefties.
Engelland, however, is right-handed along with minor-leaguers Zach Whitecloud and Dylan Coghlan.
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