Really disappointed in Miller's play this season.
The mental mistakes are rampant in his game, but the he's not doing the things physically that separate him from other defensemen in the league.
The length, the skating, the stick, the size.
At one point he was using all of his tools well and it was impressive and fawned over by the rest of the league. He was never going to be a Norris level defenseman but knowing he converted to D late in his college career gave you hope that he had a very high ceiling with the raw talent he possessed.
He's all out of sorts, positioning is off and he isnt free in his game at all. He's almost playing against himself at times and like a lot of the defenseman on this team his decisions and execution with the puck have been poor. The refusal to use his size at the right times, to me, is indicative of the culture the leadership of this team (Mika, Kreider, etc) has allowed.
He should be at a point in his career, at the very young age of 24 (365 games, including 43 postseason) where he is perfecting his position as a solid top 4 shut down defenseman.
Someone who is reliable with top minutes, who's a bear in front of and behind the net and can pitch in offensively with good pinches and catching the other team on rushes. Maybe even a top 2 if he was able to put it all together consistently. He is regressed thus far this season.
To me, he was untouchable in seasons past given those projections (and also what he showed on the ice), but now given the extension numbers we are seeing I wouldnt be upset if Drury could find a good package for him. You need to be careful with another long term deal here. Just because he's a young commodity doesnt mean you need to lock him up. If he isnt doing the things needed to win at the highest level in the playoffs then use that space for a player or players who can.
I could see him thriving elsewhere (Minnesota always made sense to me) and it biting us in the ass, but there's just something off in his game here. Maybe its the system, maybe its the coaching, maybe its the culture, maybe the player. Maybe its all 4.
