In a major attempt to become Stanley Cup contenders, the St. Louis Blues acquired U.S. Olympian and former All-Star goaltender Ryan
Miller from the Buffalo Sabres just hours ago. The trade was finalized around 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, and involved both Miller and forward Steve Ott joining the Blues, at the expense of trading well-known goalie Jaroslav Halak, two-way forward Chris Stewart, minor leaguer William Carrier and two draft choices.
Here is what Miller had to say on this opportunity through Twitter:
Excited to be a member of the @StLouisBlues. After watching my cousin Kevin wear the blue note and one of my heroes, Cujo, this is great!
— Ryan Miller (@RyanMiller3039) March 1, 2014
Pattonville students had mixed reactions to the trade as well.
Pumped for that trade!
— Brad Cody (@BradleyCody15) March 1, 2014
The blues just traded Halak. I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.
— Brendan Everson (@brendanjosephh) March 1, 2014
Miller sports a record of 15-22-3 with a .923 save percentage (SV%) and 2.72 goals against average (GAA). However, over his career he has 284 wins against 186 losses and 56 overtime losses. His resume is quite impressive leading the Buffalo Sabres to the Eastern Conference Finals three times (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011) as well as playing for the silver medal U.S. Olympic Hockey team in 2010.
Personally, I think the move is a bit of a shocker, but will pay dividends in the long run. The Blues received a consistent backstop that should thrive given our strong defense and playing in a supportive hockey city allows him to build on his strengths and great hockey experiences.
