Vegas Golden Knights: Discussing a potential Colin Miller trade

Colin Miller’s name keeps on cropping up in trade talks and the Vegas Golden Knights will have a big decision to make on the defenseman this summer.

It is no secret by now that the Vegas Golden Knights are already pressing up hard against the NHL’s projected salary cap of $83 million for 2019-20, and some tough roster decisions will have to be made.

And that could include trading away Miller who would be a valuable piece for a number of franchises, including the Toronto Maple Leafs who are in dire need of upper-end defensemen.

It has been reported today by the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Miller’s name could be shopped around this offseason, backing up claims by NHL insider Elliotte Friedman and TSN’s Bob McKenzie that the blueliner might be moved at the right price.

Miller endured a tough 2018-19 season and went through his fair share of peaks and valleys, struggling during the early throes of the year in the absence of Nate Schmidt due to suspension and then missing a large chunk of action with an upper-body injury.

He never appeared to be the same player after that, a shadow of the defenseman who was a cornerstone in the team that reached the Stanley Cup Finals the year before, and he failed to truly emerge from his slump.

In fact, Miller’s importance to the team down the stretch actually decreased and he found himself a healthy scratch on a couple of occasions during the regular season, as well as for Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal matchup against the San Jose Sharks.

All in all, it was a rough ride for Miller and the stats only back that up especially when you compare them to the 26-year-old’s numbers in his first year with Vegas.

In 2018-19 Miller had three goals and 26 assists for 29 points in 65 regular season contests, compared to 41 points (10 goals, 31 assists) in 82 games in 2017-18, which was team-leading among Golden Knights defensemen that year.

Miller’s production on the power play also dropped, 13 points this season as opposed to 17 the year before, while he also saw a dip in numbers in other categories across the board.

He dished out 122 hits in 18-19 compared to 165 in 17-18 and he only had 22 takeaways this year, whereas he had 35 last season. Miller did cut down his giveaways this season by ten however, giving up just 46, but you have to factor in that was during a much smaller sample size of games this year.

So what would the price be for Miller in any potential trade?

A big factor to consider is that the Ontario native still has three years remaining on a team-friendly deal that carries a yearly salary cap hit of $3.875 million per season, which represents great value for a right-shot blueliner.

That could interest Toronto but they are in salary cap hell themselves, so that could make any potential discussions between the Golden Knights and the Leafs short-lived.

Given what Miller produced in his inaugural season with Vegas and his upside given that, at 26-years-old, he still has some of his best hockey ahead of him, a package featuring a flurry of draft picks and high-end prospects would be a decent return in any potential trade.

Vegas could also lose Deryk Engelland this summer as an unrestricted free agent, leaving them with a severe shortage of right-shot defensemen on the roster, so that could be the potential return the Knights would seek in any deal for Miller.

The Golden Knights will have to get some bodies out of the building in order to shed salary, and they could afford to move Miller given that they have a plethora of talented young studs waiting in the wings.

Nic Hague, a hulking specimen at 6’6″ and 214 lb, looks ready to make the leap to the NHL and he has the offensive attributes and the defensive prowess to be able to take Miller’s place in the lineup.

Vegas could also dip into free agency and pick up a cheap right-shot defenseman to fill the void they have in that department, while they do hold the 17th pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft which could be used on someone like Thomas Harley, with the Mississauga Steelheads prospect rated as one of the most promising blueliners in the draft.

All in all, the Vegas Golden Knights face a tough decision on Colin Miller who has all the attributes and skill in his armoury to bounce back after a down year, but this franchise has to find a way of freeing up cap space in order to lock down star center William Karlsson to a new deal, and pulling the trigger on a trade to move their top-four defenseman could be the price they have to pay.