Lost in the insanity: Colin Miller

[Montecristo]

But can he play defense? So far the Bruins have two all the tools defenseman both with knocks on defense and decision making. Usually smarts wins out and we have a coach that will not stand for defensive mistakes too. Boy this is going to be interesting

Reports he grew tremendously in both zones in this past season. He went from 17 to 52 points over one year. He was a big time plus player (tough to read into that, great team) but was probably manchesters best Dman, particularly in the playoffs.

For all the krug comps. Krug is 5-9. He is limited in his own zone no matter how well he positions himself. Miller is 6 feet 195. He's not small. Not big, but not a liability in terms of size. He seems to have a lot of tools. He might not have the head for the d zone that krug does, but with another monumental leap as he has been taking each year since being drafted, he could turn into a legitimate player and piece to that lucic trade. 22 is not old. He was much better than morrow last year. Plus he's a right shot. I'm not saying we replaced dougie hamilton. But with zboril, lauzon, and miller. We may have replaced boychuk 1-3 times over. If he continues his high trajectory by this season he could be playing effective minutes in a bottom role for boston, a team now desperate for RHD

 

[PlayMakers]

$10 bucks says he starts opening night on Chara's right.

Chara-Colin
Trotman-Seid's
Krug- McQuaid
X: Miller

 

[Mathews28]

The thought of Krug setting this guy up from the point on the PP is pretty tasty.

With the age and, ahem, lack of footspeed of our older D, his defensive liabilities are a worry, but he seems to have a high upside and bring the speed that this team sorely lacks.

Looks like ...
Chara - Trotman (I like Trotman, but is he ready to be a top-pairing guy?)
Morrow - Seidenberg (a skilled, young PMD with some defensive questions marks and a what used to be a good shutdown player pre-injury, but was awful last year)
Krug - McQuaid/KMiller (another skilled, young PMD and a slow "muscle guy" or a slow "muscle guy" making $2MM less ... oh, and the bottom pairing is eating $6MM of cap)
CMiller (a skilled, fast PMD who is a liability with defensive question marks)

Someone from this group is going to have to go - reading the tea leaves, it's likely going to be Kevan Miller or they'll use Colin Miller as a trade chip.

Chara, seids,morrow, trotman, kmill, mcquaid, krug, warsofsky are your immediate contending dmen. The loss of Hamilton, imo, is immaterial to this years team. They weren't going anywhere and would have been in worse shape cap wise if they have Hamilton anything near what he reportedly is expecting. I see cmiller going to providence initially. It could be a rough 1-2 years but this D is going to develop nicely IMO.

 

[bp13]

$10 bucks says he starts opening night on Chara's right.

Chara-Colin
Trotman-Seid's
Krug- McQuaid
X: Miller

I just threw up in my mouth.

 

[Montecristo]

$10 bucks says he starts opening night on Chara's right.

Chara-Colin
Trotman-Seid's
Krug- McQuaid
X: Miller

Was thinking that. Stylistically it makes sense. Size and d presence balanced out with speed and offensive prowess. His speed can help chara. Chara can bail out his risk taking.

 

[BruinDust]

I just threw up in my mouth.

Chara - C.Miller
Krug - McQuaid
Morrow - Seidenberg

Extra: Trotman

Feel any better?

 

[JoeIsAStud]

Well excuse me but people don't become future NHL stars just because they get traded to the Bruins. There's a reason this guy hasn't seen a glimpse of NHL action. He's either not ready to play now (on any defensive pairing) or he never will be.

I, being as almighty as I am thanks to you, consider him Joe Morrow, except without the NHL experience.

The thing is, Miller looks like he is everything Morrow is supposed to be but hasn't been. Miller is an explosive skater. Miller has explosive offensive numbers. Morrow has really failed to deliver on the hype at Providence. He was supposed to be a 2 way defenseman with legitimate offensive skills. While the offensive skills haven't shown up and it looks like he is going to have to make it as a lower pairing defenseman who makes strong breakout passes, but doesn't contribute much in the offensive zone.

Easy there on the Krug / Warsofsky reference, the only difference is Krug got a chance and Warsofsky has not. At 3.25 million for Krug he isn't that much better than Warsofsky's 800K.

That's crap. Krug has been dramatically better than Warsofsky has at every level, despite being younger. He has been a better College player, a better AHL player and of course has excelled at the NHL level.

Krug came on to the the Providence team as a rookie, where Warsofsky was already a veteran, and produced triple the stats DW did.

Sorry for the distraction, had to respond to that one.

But that brings it back to Miller. Much like Krug, he is a dynamic and explosive player, and he has produced on the ice

 

[LouJersey]

Chara-trotman were a very good pair for the Bruins in a short amount of time last year . They had a 0,44 ga/60 in 132 even strength minutes together .

 

[finchster]

Chara-trotman were a very good pair for the Bruins in a short amount of time last year . They had a 0,44 ga/60 in 132 even strength minutes together .

Stat's like these are useless without any context. Who were their competition? Did Trotman play against first liners, was Chara being double shifted and played against 3rd/4th line guys? With such a small sample size, I think it's also irrelevant. 132 minutes is less than 3% of the season.

 

[WhalerTurnedBruin55]

He is definitely an interesting pick up with his physical gifts. The production last year stands out and the team desperately needs more shooters from the blue line.

Using hindsight, sounds a lot like Johnny Boychuk's resume at the time we acquired him, but he sounds like a better skater.

 

[WhalerTurnedBruin55]

$10 bucks says he starts opening night on Chara's right.

Chara-Colin
Trotman-Seid's
Krug- McQuaid
X: Miller

At the price tag, I hate how expensive the bottom pair is.

 

[Caper Bruins fan]

Stat's like these are useless without any context. Who were their competition? Did Trotman play against first liners, was Chara being double shifted and played against 3rd/4th line guys? With such a small sample size, I think it's also irrelevant. 132 minutes is less than 3% of the season.

Trotman looked significantly better in his 2nd call up than he did earlier in the year. He was much more physical ,not saying he is ready for top 4 duty but I wouldn't have a problem with him on the 3rd pair if he played like he did later in the year.

 

[LouJersey]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1917087

Hmmmm not happy in Tinsletown including miller.

 

[ashnathan]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1917087

Hmmmm not happy in Tinsletown including miller.

Changed their tune once we retained. We lost that deal imo, at current. Once Zboril cracks the roster or if he pans out I think it may change, but 50% of any contract hurts us especially considering our cap situation.

 

[DKH]

I went to Bruins draft party and had a conversation between stuffing my face with Bob Beers about the insanity going on. He liked the return for Lucic and mentioned both Jones and Miller. I told him although I caught a few games in Manchester I admit not paying attention to Miller but he seemed to like him and was intrigued. Beers was a former d man in the NHL so good to hear his take was positive

 

[ashnathan]

I went to Bruins draft party and had a conversation between stuffing my face with Bob Beers about the insanity going on. He liked the return for Lucic and mentioned both Jones and Miller. I told him although I caught a few games in Manchester I admit not paying attention to Miller but he seemed to like him and was intrigued. Beers was a former d man in the NHL so good to hear his take was positive

Was hoping you were going to drop a massive insider nugget that Beers slipped you which would start giving us some direction but nope.

 

[InterimGM]

$10 bucks says he starts opening night on Chara's right.

Chara-Colin
Trotman-Seid's
Krug- McQuaid
X: Miller

That defense is truly terrible. Glad we put the screws to Dougie for getting paid for his production, eh comrades?

 

[ORR2Sanderson2ORR]

I went to Bruins draft party and had a conversation between stuffing my face with Bob Beers about the insanity going on. He liked the return for Lucic and mentioned both Jones and Miller. I told him although I caught a few games in Manchester I admit not paying attention to Miller but he seemed to like him and was intrigued. Beers was a former d man in the NHL so good to hear his take was positive

I think everyone outside of LA likes the return for Lucic.
The Hamilton deal is the puzzling one. One has to wonder if Sweeney didn't make the deal with Calgary just to spite PC because the return should've, could've been much better.

I would hope not but if PC threaten to offer sheet Hamilton.....

I actually like are picks, really like Carlo and the Senyshyn pick but boy what a cost. I hope Sweeney plans on addressing the D through free-agency/trade after stocking are prospect pool by trading away are future stud.

 

[crimsonace]

Chatted with a friend who has worked in hockey and is a Kings fan.

Loves them getting Lucic, said Miller is a good replacement for Hamilton on the roster, should be in the NHL this season, and hated to see him leave the organization. Couldn't say enough about him.

 

[World of Wardlow]

$10 bucks says he starts opening night on Chara's right.

Chara-Colin
Trotman-Seid's
Krug- McQuaid
X: Miller

I think Krug's going to get the big minutes, even though he doesn't deserve it yet. They need to showcase a D that can transition and put up tons of points for the fans.

 

[Alan Ryan]

52 points in 70 AHL games last season, not too shabby.

I mean it's not 42 points in 72 NHL games but honestly how many 22 year old defenseman can do that

Johnny Boychuk had his breakout year in the AHL in 2008-09, when he scored 65 points in 78 games for Providence and made the 1st All-Star team. But he was 25 years old at that point and in his fifth year in the AHL.

Colin Miller made the 2nd AHL All-Star team in only his second year in the league at age 22, with 52 points in 70 games. At age 22 Boychuk had 32 points in 74 games in the AHL. Seems to me that C. Miller is doing just fine.

I expect to see C. Miller competing for a job in Boston this season, with the rotation looking something like this:

Chara - Seidenberg
Krug - Trotman/C. Miller
Morrow - McQuaid
K. Miller

 

[CJDolan]

Changed their tune once we retained. We lost that deal imo, at current. Once Zboril cracks the roster or if he pans out I think it may change, but 50% of any contract hurts us especially considering our cap situation.

2.7 mil for the first year of a rebuild doesn't exactly make us lose a trade imo. Had we been contenders this year, or had it been a longer term retention, I would agree.

 

[sarge88]

How the mighty have fallen. We're excited about a guy who made noise in an AHL skills competition, is 22 and hasn't played a single game in the NHL.

Boychuk didn't become a regular in the NHL until he was 25.

At least he's a guy with a significant skill set.

Rather give him a shot than a Trotman or Warsofsky.

 

[Gator Mike]

The thing is, Miller looks like he is everything Morrow is supposed to be but hasn't been. Miller is an explosive skater. Miller has explosive offensive numbers. Morrow has really failed to deliver on the hype at Providence. He was supposed to be a 2 way defenseman with legitimate offensive skills. While the offensive skills haven't shown up and it looks like he is going to have to make it as a lower pairing defenseman who makes strong breakout passes, but doesn't contribute much in the offensive zone.

I'm still a believer in Joe Morrow. I thought he made a positive contribution in his cameo with the Bruins last year. His problem has been staying healthy. He's played 89 Regular Season games with Providence over the past two years, and he's got decent aggregate numbers - 12 goals, 32 assists, and he's +3.

Right now, I'd pencil in Miller and Morrow into the lineup based on their mobility - which we'll probably need if we're gonna go with Chara, Seidenberg, and McQuaid.

 

[cobrak]

In two years this trade is going to look amazing. Lucic is a one year and done and we get Miller, that most people are really high on and the pick.

The Hamilton one, only if the hockey gods smile on us and a couple of those players turn into real impact players. Not holding my breathe on that one.