Miller’s time is likely up with Canucks
And that’s a shame, given how good goalie has been when Canucks are at their worst
Two-year-old Bodhi Miller was the only person in the Vancouver Canucks’ dressing room late Saturday who did not care how well Ryan Miller played.
The Canucks goalie arrived for his post-game media scrum carrying his son and accompanied by his wife, the actress Noureen DeWulf. And while Ryan answered questions after playing brilliantly but futilely in his team’s 3-0 loss to the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, Noureen and Bodhi watched and waited on the other side of the room.
When Ryan was finished with local reporters, Bodhi approached him and said “Hi, daddy,” because he had clearly missed his father during those four or five minutes.
It was a charming scene — and one that should be remembered when Miller becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and makes family, including his wife’s Los Angeles-based career, a priority when deciding where to play next.
Ideally, the Canucks would like to keep Miller for another season while uber-prospect Thatcher Demko progresses in the American Hockey League. But a one-year contract is probably not ideal for the 36-year-old goalie, nor terribly likely considering Miller has had an excellent season and shown himself still to be a superior starting goalie in the National Hockey League.
So Miller is probably leaving the Canucks, which makes his outstanding play in the face of the team’s hopeless — and, at times, hapless — situation even more impressive and noble.
Think about this. Two weeks ago, there was a chance Miller was going to be traded, leveraged for any kind of asset the Canucks could use in their rebuild. But Miller survived the NHL trading deadline while important veteran teammates Alex Burrows and Jannik Hansen were traded for good prospects, essentially announcing game over for the Canucks this season.
That was the same weekend Canucks backup goalie Jacob Markstrom, who is supposed to be Miller’s successor, was injured in Vancouver’s skills competition, the annual circus act the team performs for its fans.
Nearly one-third of the team was affected by an outbreak of the mumps. Besides Markstrom, six other Canucks are injured. And on Saturday against one of the fastest and best teams in hockey, top-pairing defenceman Chris Tanev and first-line forward Markus Granlund were unable to play due to food poisoning.
Miller may as well have been handed a blindfold and cigarette when he was sent out to face the Penguins. Then he made 45 saves, nine alone on Sidney Crosby, and somehow kept the overmatched Canucks within a goal until Jake Guentzel made it 2-0 with 3:06 remaining in the third period.
Pittsburgh added an emptynetter and Vancouver lost for the ninth time in 12 games as the abyss between the Canucks and the final playoff spot in the Western Conference reached double digits.
Miller has started 10 of those 12 games and the Canucks have scored two or fewer goals in eight of them, and one or less in five.
Instead of wins, what the Canucks are getting out of these final starts from Miller is professionalism — lessons for the many young players in the room about preparation and dedication and focus.
“I don’t think it’s a conscious thing,” he said of setting an example. “I think it’s more I want to conduct myself the same way, and not be a fair-weather-type player. You want to be a winter soldier. You want to play when things are good, and you want to play when things aren’t as good. That’s hockey.
“You’ve got to make things turn for your team. Things don’t just happen; you have to turn it. So just keep playing, keep approaching it the same way.
“My outlook has to be the same, professionally. I have a fair amount of pride night to night. We’re battling, doing everything we can to get points. At least, that’s my mindset. There are points on the table and they’re available. You just try and work for them.”
And the Canucks, outshot 23-8 in the second period and 48-27 in the game, might have had a chance to steal a point had Michael Chaput’s first-period goal not been disallowed upon review for goalie interference, even though Penguins netminder Matt Murray did not appear to be at all impeded or physically affected by Chaput charging into the crease.
That 50-50 call is how things are going for the Canucks in March.
Miller’s best still isn’t good enough, and yet he continues to deliver it for the team he is expected to leave behind.
“He’s battling, playing so well for us,” winger Sven Baertschi said. “We can’t get him the wins. That’s on us. He did everything he could tonight to keep us in it. He had an awesome game and we didn’t deliver.
“Every single day, he’s working on something. Whether it’s on the ice or off the ice, he’s trying to get better every single day. That’s why he’s had such a great career. There is a lot to learn from him. He’s a great example to us, a great pro. He does things us younger guys can learn from.”
The Canucks play the Boston Bruins Monday night. Miller will treat it like the Stanley Cup final rather than another night during a hopeless stretch of a disappointing season. Everyone but Bodhi should appreciate that.