they owe him one more GREAT chance.

miller could post better numbers if myers solidifies his defense and the defense overall improves.

this is the ken dryden syndrome. as he got older, his reflexes got worse, and he improvised, turning himself in a great goaltender that was different from his early years (did you know dryden didnt even use his glove hand for a few seasons later in his career? he reprogrammed his stickside to cover his gloveside.)

as miller ages, his reflexes and such could go south, but he can still learn how to position better and improvise. being a smart man (yeah yeah, i know, michigan state education. hes still a smart dude) he should do so.

no, but what im saying, caro, that he is owed one more great chance while hes at his peak. this window in his "maximum prime" should last 2-4 years. but they OWE him the guys around him.

Sometimes Miller over commits himself. That's about all I can think of.

As far as the backup:

MILLER IS PART OF THE PROBLEM!

Why? I've heard that he really wants to be like Brodeur in the way he is relied on by the team. He WANTS to be counted on for 70+ games, I heard him say that in an interview 2 seasons ago. Problem is, you'll NEVER have a backup in great form when they play so little.

Uhh, every goalie WANTS to play as many games as they can. Ultimately, it's up to the coach to choose how frequently he wants his goaltenders to play. Miller is a type of goalie who is going to get the majority of the workload, there's no doubt about that, but having a back up goalie who is more reliable than Lalime could go a long way. And for what it's worth... I thought Ryan did a good job at handling such an intense workload this season.

Please, don't crucify me, because let me be clear before I continue:

IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, AM I BLAMING MILLER. HE WAS ONE OF THE ONLY REASONS THAT WE STAYED WITH BOSTON.

But with all the games he played, our lack of support at back up, the extra games he played for the olympics... I think he could have been even better.

Where am I going with this?

A lot of people are criticizing Darcy for 'not going for it' because Ryan was having a "career year".

Well, in my opinion, this season wasn't the ceiling for Miller. In fact, I think the best is yet to come.

With proper rest, and another offseason with a burning desire to bring the Sabres to the big dance, Miller will come back next season with an even better game.

He's got the best work ethic on this team... if not the best in the entire NHL. Why shouldn't we expect him to lead by example, as he has done since he's been here, and improve his game even more?

I expect him to stay standing a little more often next season, and find a way to challenge a little less so he's not all in once he commits to a shot.

I also expect him to get better at playing the puck.

Can anyone else pin point areas of his game that you'd like to see him improve?

This

Yeah, there was a goal when boston had a 4-2 where I literally had no idea where Miller was because he played so far out. I'm not sure if that's the normal procedure on 4-2's but it sure as hell didn't work there.

Regardless of whether he was tired or overplayed...He didnt steal any games for us against boston. Isnt that what our super-elite olympic goalie is supposed to be capable of? I know the team largely took a shit in front of him, but hell...letting in less than 4 goals in game 6 would have been nice. I was pretty disappointed with him in this series, he did that same thing where he makes the most startlingly amazing saves, then lets in a few crap goals.