Goalie Ryan Miller is headed to the Central Division-leading St. Louis Blues after a blockbuster five-player, two draft pick-deal was sealed on Friday night that further boosted the Blues' Stanley Cup aspirations.
Miller, alongside center Steve Ott, was dealt in exchange for goaltender Jaroslav Halak, forward Chris Steward and prospect William Carrier plus a 2015 first round pick and a conditional third round pick in 2016. The deal was sealed days before the NHL trade deadline on Wednesday.
Miller and Ott are thus leaving the worst team in the league to join a legitimate contender, and the former expressed gratitude for the opportunity given to him. "It's definitely humbling and flattering that they would make that kind of move and bring us in with the intention of giving them some help to push for a Stanley Cup," Miller said as reported by ESPN.com. "We're excited for the opportunity there. But also, it's about the responsibility we have to that organization to show up and get up to speed and compete as hard as we can to live up to the trade."
Blues captain David Backes welcomed the trade, saying: "Ryan Miller is an all-world goalie that has shown it time and time again. I've seen it in a couple of Olympics where he's as good as anyone in the business. And Steve Ott, playing against him, he adds a lot of grit and is hard to play against, the type of player you want to have on your team in the playoffs."
The newly-acquired players are expected to join the team on Saturday in Phoenix just in time for their game against the Coyotes on Sunday.
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