Ryan Miller is currently in Sochi with Team U.S.A., but it hasn't stopped his name from popping up in trade rumors as the Washington Capitals have expressed interest.
With the entire NHL world put on pause as the rosters are frozen and the eyes of the world are glued to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games for two weeks, rumors are still swirling about what roster moves each NHL team looks to make when play resumes.
According to SI.com, the Capitals have once again expressed interest in the Buffalo Sabres goaltender as they did late last season when they reportedly almost traded for him at last year's NHL trade deadline. The current roster freeze ends on Feb. 23 and teams will have until the March 5 deadline to negotiate new deals.
The report states that Caps goalie Michal Neuvirth would likely be involved in the deal as well as the Capitals first-round pick in this year's draft and possibly more.
The Capitals have been armed with great pieces including Alex Ovechkin, who leads the league with 40 goals and has 60 points, but with constant playoff disappointments, this could be the year that general manager George McPhee pulls the trigger on a deal. McPhee could be willing to part with anything that the Sabres ask for within reason.
With Braden Holtby playing inconsistently, the team may look to bring in Miller to stabilize itself between the pipes. Miller won the tournament MVP award at the 2010 Vancouver Games between the pipes for Team U.S.A.
Holtby is 17-13-2 with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage for the Capitals (27-23-9) while Miller is 14-22-3 with a 2.74 GAA and a .923 save percentage for the last place Sabres (15-34-8)--who he's played every game of his career with.
Reports have indicated that the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild are among the other teams interested in Miller, but with those teams in the playoff picture right now and Washington on the outside looking in, there is a chance that the Caps make a deal with Buffalo.
The Capitals have made it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for six straight years, but have yet to make it out of the second round during that stretch. In the 48-game 2013 lockout-shortened season, the team was bumped in the first round by the New York Rangers, dropping a Game 7 to them for the second straight year.
The Capitals are looking to do anything to turn around their recent postseason woes, and that could include bringing in Miller at any cost.
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