The Downfall of Ryan Miller

Via: nhlsnipers.com

It wasn't long ago when Ryan Miller was the Franchise, the Superstar, the All-American Hero. In the 2009-2010 season Miller was nearly unbeatable, posting a 2.22 GAA, .929 S% and 41 wins on his way to a Vezina trophy and First All-star Team honors. That same year he led a young Team USA to an improbable silver medal at the Vancouver Olympics, a tournament in which he was named the MVP. Oh, how times have changed.

Fast forward to tonight. In a game that was absolutely crucial for the Sabres to win if they were to have any chance at a postseason berth, Miller simply fell apart. In the final 2 and half minutes of the first period Miller allowed 3 goals, including one off a horrible miscue in front of his own net. He was allowed to start the second period, but let in another goal just 1:13 into it, at which point his night was done. As a result, Buffalo's season is probably done as well.

The game was a microcosm of the entire year, in which Miller is having the worst statistical season of his career. He has yet to pick up a shutout, has more losses than wins for the first time ever, and his GAA has ballooned to an elephantine 2.81. Simply shocking results that have left fans in Buffalo pulling out their hair, and people around the league dumbstruck at how a man, who may have been on his way to a Hall of Fame career, could fall so far, so fast.

There's even been talk that, with only one year at $6.25 million left on his contract, Miller is on his way out of Buffalo via trade, a notion that would have seemed completely absurd a mere 2 years ago. How could this have happened?

One could argue that part of his regression is due to the players in front of him. Show me a good goalie, and I'll show you a good defense. Buffalo has allowed more shots this year than any other team, and it's sure to take it's toll. Another factor is the Sabres penalty kill, which sits at just 78.6% on the season. But to me, the problem goes much deeper than just statistical analysis. The fact is that Miller is simply no longer "the man". In the past, he would be able to hold down the fort on the PK, to make that huge save late in the third period, to steal a game when the Sabres desperately needed it. The old Ryan Miller would have gotten the two points tonight against the Rangers, instead he collapsed. Which leads me to believe that it's more than just statistics, systems or technique that are letting him down...it's mental.

You can actually pinpoint the exact moment when Miller's career started to begin it's downward trajectory: when Sidney Crosby scored on him in overtime at the Olympics. Up to that point in the NHL season, and through the Olympic tournament, Miller had been maintaining his stellar, Vezina-worthy level of play. But with the weight of a nation on his shoulders, he couldn't make that last save and it's been all downhill since then. For the rest of the 2009-2010 season and each season that followed his play grew consistently worse, eventually reaching the bottom of the barrel tonight. Or at least one hopes it's the bottom, cause he couldn't get much deeper.  He's been inconsistent, publicly complaining to the media, and generally appearing frustrated as he tries desperately to turn his game around.

Perhaps a change of scenery is all that can really help him at this point. Miller is only 32 years old after all, and his size and technique have not abandoned him, only his focus has. My hope is that Miller will be able to return to his former glory, but it seems that if it's to happen, it won't be in Buffalo.


Thanks for reading. As always comments are appreciated here at WAAP and remember to share on the social media platform of your choice. I know I've been hard on Miller tonight, so your nightly gif is a reminder of just what he's capable of when he's on his game: