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.
Sunday, June 30, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Colin Miller had an "uneasy feeling."
The 26-year-old defenseman knew Golden Knights General Manager George McPhee needed to clear salary cap space this offseason and the multiyear contract Miller signed last July made him a candidate to be traded.
That uneasiness finally ended Friday night when Miller was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for two draft choices: a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 fifth-round pick.
Instead of returning to a possible Stanley Cup contender, Miller is joining a team that owns the NHL's longest playoff drought, though he is positioned to possibly have a more prominent role under new Sabres coach Ralph Krueger.
"Mixed feelings," Miller said in a conference call Saturday. "I think we had something really special going on there in Vegas and they're going to have a great team moving forward. Turning around, it's going to be great. It's going to be a great opportunity. Seeing what Buffalo did last year through a healthy stretch of the season was very encouraging obviously for the city of Buffalo and the team. Just excited to hopefully take on a little bit more of a role than I had in Vegas and try to help the team in any way I can."
It's no secret why Miller was thought to be among the group of players McPhee could trade prior to July 1. Miller was a healthy scratch for Game 1 of the Golden Knights' first-round playoff series against San Jose, though he was one of their better players for the six games that followed.
That uneasiness increased last week when Vegas signed center William Karlsson to an eight-year, $47.2 million extension, putting the team over next season's $81.5 million salary-cap ceiling. Rather than trading expensive players, McPhee began by dealing center Erik Haula's $2.75 million cap hit to Carolina.
Last July, Miller signed a four-year, $15.5 million contract extension after his breakout season with the Golden Knights. He scored 10 goals among 41 points with a minus-4 rating while appearing in all 82 regular season games. Miller, who was selected in the expansion draft the previous summer, also scored the franchise's first Stanley Cup final goal during Game 1 against the Washington Capitals.
Miller, a fifth-round pick of Los Angeles in 2012, had three goals among 29 points in 65 regular season games this past season. He led the Vegas' defensemen in assists (57) and points (70) over the past two years.
"I think for me personally it's [I'm] going to play my game," Miller said. "In Vegas I learned a lot of valuable things. We had a great team there. We learned a lot over two years about the playoffs and kind of what it took to win. Hopefully I can transition that over and try to be part of something that's winning. I think it's obviously been a little bit since there's been playoff hockey in Buffalo and they were right there last year, so it will be a lot of fun trying to build something special here."
The production, as well as the playoff experience, attracted the Sabres to Miller. He's under contract for three more seasons at an average annual value of $3.87 million, solidifies a blue line that added Brandon Montour in February and brings playoff experience, a valuable asset given the Sabres' struggles.
Krueger spoke to Miller early Saturday morning and expressed excitement to reporters about adding a talented player with playoff experience.
"His energy that he brings, the experiences he's had now with Vegas, a team that plays on it's toes, likes to have an aggressive defensive style — really suits us," Krueger said. "If you look at his last six, seven years I think he's been in the playoffs every year except one year. And no matter where he's been it's where we want to go. Any player we can add with that mileage on him. The game he plays is exciting. He has a lot of courage."
When detailing his excitement for the trade, Miller cited the Sabres' 10-game winning streak in November. He also recalled experiencing the raucous KeyBank Center crowds during his two seasons with the Boston Bruins and offered another reason why he believes the Sabres are close to contending: their roster.
In addition to Montour, the Sabres' defensive core includes Rasmus Dahlin, and the forward group is led by Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart and Jeff Skinner.
"A lot of speed and a lot of skill, and I think in the new NHL, that is absolutely what you need, absolutely what teams are using to win," Miller said. "I think you see all the teams that are successful — the Tampas, the Torontos — speed, speed, speed and that aggressive style. So I think it'll be exciting to see what we can do."
Miller broke into the NHL with the Bruins in 2015-16, only a few months after he was acquired from the Kings in exchange for Milan Lucic. Miller appeared in 103 regular season games during his two seasons with Boston, posting 29 points and playing in four Stanley Cup playoff games.
However, Miller has mostly been a third-pairing defenseman. That could change in Buffalo, especially if the Sabres trade Rasmus Ristolainen this offseason. They currently have five right-shot defensemen under an NHL contract next season and their need for a top-six forward makes a trade more likely than not.
Regardless of how the rest of the offseason unfolds, Miller is hopeful he can be part of a playoff contender in Buffalo.
"It just takes guys that are willing to buy in," Miller said. "If there's one thing that I was most proud of in Vegas, it was the friendships that I made, because we had such good people in that locker room and good people throughout that organization, and that's exactly what we're seeing there in Buffalo. From talking to coach to the players to the GM, it really is some great people there. That's what it's going to take ultimately to come together as a team."
