Flashing Back: One Year Since St. Louis Blues Traded for Ryan Miller
As the St. Louis Blues face off against Edmonton, we thought it would be fun to revisit a momentous occasion in Blues history, even if it may not have brought the positive benefit that the team hoped it would.
One year ago today (February 28, 2014), the Blues traded goaltender Jaroslav Halak, forward Chris Stewart, forward prospect William Carrier, a first-round pick in 2015, and a third-round pick in 2016 for Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller and forward Steve Ott, both of whom were in the final years of their respective contracts.
It was a rather oddly-timed trade, as Halak had just had a spectacular night in net for the Blues the previous night, giving up just one goal on 35 shots. Quite literally, the time at which the teams pulled the trigger on the trade also was not ideal. The trade was announced just a few hours before the puck dropped for the Blues’ Friday night battle with the Anaheim Ducks, which meant that Brian Elliott had to make a start in net for the Blues while the team dressed a Ducks equipment assistant as their emergency backup.
Here’s a quick summary of how every player involved in the trade is doing these days:
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Ryan Miller: After making it through his first eight games in a Bluenote without a regulation loss, Miller kind of crumbled as the lineup in front of him dealt with a widespread outbreak of untimely injuries. He gave up at least three goals in five of the Blues’ six playoff games and took the loss in the their four straight losses against the Chicago Blackhawks, which rendered him unpopular with St. Louis fans.
In what seemed to be somewhat of a mutual decision, it was determined before free agency even started that Miller would not return to St. Louis, as the Blues decided to give Brian Elliott a long-term contract extension instead. Miller went on to sign a three-year, $18 million-dollar contract with the Vancouver Canucks this offseason.
He got off to a hot start with Vancouver, though his play leveled off as the season went on. Miller had a 28-15-1 record with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage through 44 games, but he recently suffered a lower-body injury after colliding with teammate Jannik Hansen, and he’s been on injured-reserve since then.
Though Miller didn’t necessarily make a noted contribution to the Blues’ Stanley Cup efforts, the trade did provide a benefit to the Blues, as it allowed the team to get out from under Chris Stewart’s two-year, $8.3 million-dollar contract, which gave them the funds to sign Paul Stastny to a four-year, $28 million-dollar deal this offseason.
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Jaroslav Halak: Halak practiced with the Sabres and was their backup goalie for a game, but was quickly flipped to the Washington Capitals, where he split time with Braden Holtby and went 5-4-4 over 12 games.
Halak signed a four-year, $18 million-dollar contract with the New York Islanders this offseason, and he’s really ramped up his play, collecting a 33-13-0 record with a 2.46 goals-against average and .911 save percentage on the way to becoming an All-Star for an Islanders team that is currently in first place in the Metropolitan Division.
Steve Ott: Ott had a rough time after being traded to the Blues last spring, as he was frequently asked to play on the Blues’ top three lines but clearly didn’t fit, as he had no goals and just three assists in 23 games while collecting an embarrassing minus-12 rating during that time. He was more visible during the playoffs, as he showcased his strong face-off ability and physicality.
It didn’t look like the Blues were going to bring back Ott this offseason, but after Vladimir Sobotka surprisingly bolted for Russia, he was brought back on a two-year, $5.2 million-dollar deal. Ott has been able to settle in during his first full year in a Bluenote and has found more of a niche on the fourth line, being allowed to play aggressively on the forecheck without having as much pressure to contribute offensively. Still, it’s a bit disappointing that Ott, who scored double-digit goals in five straight years from 2007 to 2012, has just two goals and seven assists in 59 games this season.
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Chris Stewart: Stewart, who was limited to just five games with Buffalo down the stretch last year after suffering an injury, has been very up-and-down since his trade to the Sabres, which frankly is also a pretty good way to describe his tenure with the Blues. Stewart has been one of Buffalo’s more consistent offensive contributors with 11 goals and 14 assists, but there have been times this season where his level of play has dropped so heavily that he’s been a healthy scratch. It’s been rumored that the Sabres will seek to trade Stewart before this year’s trade deadline, but their asking price may be too high.
As stated earlier, perhaps the greatest impact from the trade was the Blues being able to shed Stewart’s troublesome multi-year contract.
William Carrier: Carrier, who is playing in his first AHL season, has put up decent (if slightly underwhelming) production for the Sabres’ minor-league affiliate, the Rochester Americans, this season. Carrier, who was considered one of the Blues’ best forward prospects, has seven goals and 11 assists through 55 games. His loss seems to have been softened by the quicker-than-expected emergence of 2014 first-rounder Robby Fabbri, the rapid ascension of 21-year-old forward Dmitrij Jaskin, and the apparent ability of Ty Rattie to be an NHL contributor.
Though Blues GM Doug Armstrong has said it’s likely that the team will stand pat at this year’s trade deadline, it will be interesting to see if he ends up changing course and does anything approaching the impact of the Miller trade that took place a year ago.