Kevan Miller has gotten paid.
The Boston Bruins announced on Tuesday that they’ve signed the defenseman to a four-year contract extension worth $10 million. Miller appeared in a career-high 71 games for the Bruins in 2015-16, scoring five goals, 13 assists, and 18 points with a +15 rating.
The contract is a tough one for a variety of reasons.
Miller, a right-handed shot, was given ample playing time with the B’s at 19:04 minutes per game. He regularly was paired with the club’s top defensemen such as Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara for a majority of his minutes at even strength. Despite being paired with Boston’s two best D-men, Miller posted a 49.8 Corsi For rating. He made 31.4% defensive zone starts, which means the Bruins didn’t deploy him in overly tough minutes. Miller’s not a defensive or offensive specialist and isn’t good enough to play a top-pair role. He’s gets by through playing hard. That’s admirable but doesn’t justify the deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q48NqtDlk_E
It’s fine for Boston to want Miller in their lineup, but he’s nothing more than a bottom-six pair guy who shouldn’t play in big situations. The Bruins are paying him like he’s a middle-six guy and are committing an absurdly long-term to a player who doesn’t deserve it.
The four-year term is obviously the biggest problem with the contract. Miller has only appeared in 159 games as an NHLer, all of which when he was in his mid-20’s. Despite being almost 30, he’s got only two seasons worth of experience. Miller’s already at his peak in terms of performance and won’t get better. If anything, he’s going to decline as he gets older. While the Bruins might like him as a person, it’s not hard to find a player who can fill Miller’s role for a much smaller price in free agency, or in the American Hockey League.
https://twitter.com/myregularface/status/697227332172570624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Miller’s contract comparables (per General Fanager) tell a grave tale. Miller’s teammate Adam McQuaid (4/$2.75 million), Winnipeg Jets rearguard Mark Stuart (4/$2.65 million) and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Greene (4/$2.5 million) all hit around the same price range for defensemen. What’s the common thread among those players? They all stink. If their respective teams could shed their contracts with no return, I’d bet they would – well maybe, not Boston considering just locked up both Miller and McQuaid.
Miller making $2.5 million per season might not seem like a lot, but for the Bruins, it’s going to be crippling long term. Giving lengthy terms to mediocre depth players is cap suicide. Boston isn’t exactly flush with cap room, as they still have to sign Krug as a restricted free agent, figure out what to do with Loui Eriksson, and save money for Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak hitting restricted free agency after next season. Signing Miller handcuffs them. The Bruins are now committing $9.25 million per season over the next two years to Miller, McQuaid and Seidenberg. That’s a steep price for three players that don’t bring nearly the value of what they’re getting paid.
Who exactly were the Bruins competing against to sign Miller? It’s highly doubtful any team would offer him more than a one-year deal. GM Don Sweeney overvalued Miller, plain and simple.
The Miller contract is the latest example of a team unnecessarily locking up a mediocre player to an absurd term. The Bruins might not regret the deal now, but it’s certainly going to become an issue for their cap in the not to distant future.
