The Five Most Likely Trade Scenarios for Ryan Miller

April 23, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie

(30) reacts after losing his mask against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Buffalo Sabres won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

(Due to a server issue, an incomplete draft of this was posted earlier this morning.  I apologize for any confusion!)

Now that the fun that was the 2013 NHL Entry Draft has faded, it is time for fans of the Buffalo Sabres to turn their attention to free agency and the trade market.

There are plenty of players on the Sabres roster who could – and in some cases, should – be traded, but the two players whose fates the Buffalo faithful are most interested in are Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller.  I’ll examine the possible scenarios that seem the most realistic when it comes to Mr. Vanek in a bit, but today I’d like to examine the five destinations that seem most likely to be Miller’s new place of employment for the 2013-2014 NHL season, ranked in order (mine, mind you) of least likely to most likely.

Please keep in mind: I don’t spend all day on the phone, chatting with agents or front office personnel.  I read the news, I hear rumors, and I read the news more.  Statistically speaking, the overwhelming majority of rumors don’t pan out – they’re rumors!    I’m not in the business of playing Woodward and Bernstein; I’m just keeping my ear to the ground and speculating on what is out there.  Feel free to discuss, but don’t shoot the messenger if none of these scenarios pan out!

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Sleeper: The Colorado Avalanche

This one is 100% speculation on my part, not supported by any trade rumors/chatter that I have read so far.  Let’s consider the Avalanche’s situation, however: having just picked up superstar-in-the-making Nathan MacKinnon, the Avalanche want to capitalize on the excitement they have generated by making a speedy return to the playoffs.  Their starting goaltending last year was less-than-impressive: Semyon Varlamov started 33 games for them, going 11-21-3 with a GAA of 3.02 and a save percentage of .903.  Their backup?  Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who is 36 and didn’t fare much better.  The Avalanche drafted goalie Spencer Martin, who played well for Team Canada but is still too inconsistent to inherit a starting gig any time soon.   I would not be surprised at all to see Colorado suddenly start shopping for goalies, and with so many young forwards on their team, it is feasible to think that the Avalanche could make an offer that the Buffalo Sabres would find difficult to refuse.

Apr 6, 2013; Sunrise, FL, USA; A Florida Panthers ice dancer skates before a game between the Washington Capitals and Florida Panthers at the BB

5. The Florida Panthers

The Panthers are the team that I most wanted the Sabres to make a trade with on or before draft day.  They held the second overall pick in the draft, but might have a hard time holding on to that pick if the Sabres had offered to help Florida in the one area it needs help the most: starting goaltending.  (Read more about my reasoning here.)   The fact that this trade never materialized seems to indicate that it is not something either side is interested in . . . but damn it if it doesn’t make sense!   While the Sabres cannot expect the Panthers to part ways with either Aleksander Barkov or 2013 Rookie of the Year Jonathan Huberdeau, the Panthers could serve up center Nick Bjugstad (19th overall pick in 2010) and RW prospect Jonathan Hazen, who tore up the QMJHL by scoring 227 points (106-121-227) in 242 games played.  Stranger things have happened . . . but I’d be surprised if South Florida is where Miller winds up playing next year.

4. The Edmonton Oilers

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Miller has already made it clear that he wants to move out West, in order to be closer to his wife.  Edmonton has already made it clear that they are in the market for a new goaltender, as they reportedly contacted the Pittsburgh Penguins to ask about the availability of Marc-Andre Fleury (whom the Penguins claimed was untouchable – seriously?).   If the Oilers watched any of the playoffs and STILL inquired about Fleury, you know they are not satisfied with their current netminders.  Geographically, this move makes sense for Miller, as it is the closest he will get to California, since there are no teams in California that currently require his services.   The Oilers are also an exciting team loaded with young talent who seem primed to become a playoff team as early as next season.  From what I’ve read, the Oilers don’t need to worry about the salary cap hit they would take from acquiring Miller, either, so the financial aspect should not be a deal-breaker.   The problem is, the Oilers tried to pull off a deal to acquire more size on their blueline, and are still looking to do so.  If that is their top priority, they may not have the resources to swing a trade that also brings Miller to the Western Conference.  Plus, it’s unclear if they are looking for a starting goalie, or a backup for Devan Dubnyk, which would make all the difference in the world.  Still, this is one of those cases in which both sides could greatly benefit from opening the communication lines.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

3. The St. Louis Blues

St. Louis is a near-lock to make the playoffs next year, and a near-lock to get knocked out before the Western Conference Finals, too.  The reason?  You guessed it: their goaltending situation.  Yes, Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott won the 2012 William M. Jennings Trophy as the best goaltending duo in the NHL.  They then proceeded to go 4-5 in the playoffs, with Elliott posting a save percentage of .904 as they were swept out of the playoffs in the second round by the Los Angeles Kings.  This past season, Halak spent a good amount of time injured, while Elliott struggled through a stretch of the regular season and was once again bested by Jonathan Quick and the Kings in the playoffs.   Halak’s name has already come up as someone the Blues are looking to ship out of town, and Garth over at Hockey Buzz already floated out the potential for the Sabres to move Miller to St. Louis in order to pick up someone like T.J. Oshie.  Again, this is another potential win-win for everyone involved . . . but I have not heard much chatter about this scenario lately, so I’m left to wonder if it wasn’t just a pipe dream Garth was floating out there.

2. The Washington Capitals

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Yes, I know Miller really wants to head west.  Let’s face it, though: there are more teams on the East Coast looking to shore up their goaltending situation today than there are on the West Coast.  Washington has just recently entered the trade chatter surrounding Miller, but now that they have, it’s hard not to see the potential for a great trade.  Braden Holtby played well for the Capitals during the regular season, but his career playoff record in the NHL is 10-11, and he didn’t exactly give the Capitals hope for the future when he gave up 5 goals in a game 7 loss to the New York Rangers in the first round of this year’s playoffs.    The Capitals could start Miller and give Holtby more time to hone his skills, while the Sabres could potentially walk away with Mike Ribeiro and a few of the Capitals prospects, including either Travis Boyd or Riley Barber, both of whom fared well with the U.S. National Development Program.

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1. The New York Islanders

Talk about an East-coast team who could make Ryan Miller want to remain in the state of New York.  The Islanders are a young, up-and-coming, hellaciously fun team to watch that is in serious need of a starting goaltender, since they just bought-out the remainder of Rick DiPietro‘s contract and because their 2012-2013 starting goalie was the soon-to-be 38 Evgeni Nabokov, who will become a free agent on July 5th.  Because the Islanders are not expected to re-sign Nabokov, it would appear that they are the NHL team most in need of a goalie, and their options are limited.  Do they sign Ilya Bryzgalov, who was so unreliable in Philadelphia?   Would they bother with Tim Thomas, who spent all of the past season in his own private world and who has now decided he wants to return to the NHL?   How about looking to land Ray Emery or Jose Theodore, serviceable goalies, but not exactly the sort of netminders you can expect to carry you through the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs?  The Islanders had a bit of a coming-of-age season this past year, and they are loaded with talent down the middle – would they be willing to give up prospect Ryan Strome in order to get Miller?   What about Josh Bailey or even winger Kyle Okposo?   The bottom line is, the Islanders want to continue building on last year’s success, and they need a quality goalie to do so. Meanwhile, the Sabres are looking to add depth and youth to their roster, espeically at the center position, and will have some nice pieces to choose from should talks open up.  Right now, the New York Islanders are the team I would tag as the favorites in the race to acquire Ryan Miller.