Welcome to the next chapter of the great Vancouver goaltending saga. The Canucks have signed Ryan Miller to a three-year, $18 million contract.
Miller had a respectable .918 save percentage last season while playing for both Buffalo and St. Louis, but the 33-year-old was a disappointment after being traded mid-season to the Stanley Cup-hopeful Blues.
Clearly, though, new Canucks general manager Jim Benning felt that adding a veteran netminder was a necessity and that Vancouver could not go into next season with the inexperienced duo of Eddie Lack and Jacob Markstrom, the latter of whom was acquired from Florida in the Roberto Luongo trade.
If Lack is Miller’s backup next season, the Canucks may look to deal Markstrom during the summer instead of risking losing him to waivers upon being sent to the AHL. The Canucks drafted a highly rated goalie, Thatcher Demko, on Saturday, so one has to wonder where Markstrom, 24, fits into the club’s long-term plans.
As for Miller? Welcome to Vancouver, where goalies from Dan Cloutier to Luongo to Cory Schneider have come and gone, none of them leaving with a Stanley Cup ring.
But Vancouver was also the site of the 2010 Olympics, where Miller shone in goal for Team USA. That same season he won the Vezina Trophy.
Related: After adding depth, Benning needs to address Canucks’ second line