The Vancouver Canucks’ goaltending situation has been the source of drama for quite some time, while Ryan Miller’s uncertainty seems like it mainly sprouted up as free agency approaches. Either way, the two sides may very well find an answer together once July 1 rolls around.
If nothing else, the two seem to be talking about a possible deal.
Multiple sources report that Miller is in Vancouver talking to Canucks brass as the free agent period approaches.
Ryan Miller and his wife spotted getting off an L.A. Flight at YVR this afternoon. #goalieofthefuture? #canucks
— Jay Durant (@GlobalDurant) June 29, 2014
UFA goalie Ryan Miller is in VAN being wooed by Canucks' brass.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 30, 2014
There was already some scuttlebutt about the Canucks flirting with Miller, 33, so this presents fire where there was smoke.
Adding Miller would provide a slight logjam, albeit a manageable one, in Vancouver. The Canucks currently employ the young tandem of Eddie Lack and Jacob Markstrom, with both providing promise but also a lack (sorry) of experience.
Lack makes $1.15 million for the next two seasons while Markstrom will be a RFA after he finishes out a deal that carries a $1.2 million cap hit in 2014-15. Neither deal is difficult to trade, while putting them on waivers could mean losing a goalie for nothing.
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Benning on the possibility of Markstrom being picked up on waivers if sent down: "We don't have to try and figure that out right now."
— Jason Brough 🙁 (@SadClubCommish) June 26, 2014
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Consider this: Miller has 559 games of regular season experience alone while Lack and Markstrom combine for 88 games of regular season experience.
In a lot of ways, the idea makes plenty of sense: Miller could provide the stability the Canucks crave and vice versa. Of course, there’s the possibility that this situation could meltdown into another soap opera ... which wouldn’t be so bad for those of us who get to write about it.
Not that such scenarios factor into our excitement about such matters, of course.