The next Canucks goalie controversy is already brewing

Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers/USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Miller’s a marked man.

The Vancouver Canucks No. 1 netminder started the new season in fine form, but an 0-3-1 record in his last four games, combined with a brutal .867 save percentage during that span and plenty of finger-pointing along the way, means that Miller is once again about to feel the wrath of a fickle Canucks fanbase that loves to support its backup goalies.

Miller had no place to hide when he surrendered a weak goal to rookie Chris Wideman with 1:55 left in the third period on Thursday—a goal that ultimately turned out to be the game-winner for the Ottawa Senators.

I understood why Jim Benning signed Miller to a three-year, $18 million contract when he took over as the Canucks general manager two summers ago. Miller boosted Benning’s own career prospects when he went from being a fifth-round draft choice by the Buffalo Sabres in 1999—when Benning was Buffalo’s director of amateur scouting—to an NHL starter by 2005-06 and a Vezina Trophy winner in 2009-10.

Benning added an important foundation piece to the Canucks roster when he brought in a solid veteran netminder after Roberto Luongo was shipped out of town. He also paid back a player who had helped him establish his own professional reputation as a scout with a keen eye for undiscovered talent.

For those same reasons, Miller was not a trade chip Benning was willing to play last summer, when he moved Eddie Lack to Carolina in order to make room for Jacob Markstrom on the Canucks’ roster.

During Miller’s first year in Vancouver, he toiled in the shadow of Lack’s fan-favourite persona. Lack’s an affable character who had earned his props with the fanbase by maintaining his sunny disposition during trying times under coach John Tortorella the season before, all while managing a cheerful Twitter account that made him appear accessible and human. 

Last season, I often wondered how Miller felt listening to the “Eddie! Eddie!” chants as he sat on the bench at Rogers Arena when Lack played, or when the Canucks’ game-presentation team rolled out the “Back to Lack” AC/DC tribute song for a big play by the backup—all while Miller had no signature cheer of his own. Once in awhile during his first year, Miller would make a big save and the crowd would sound like they were on the verge of chanting “Looooou!” But then the fans would remember that Luongo was long gone—and no one, including the team, had bothered to come up with a way to cheer the team’s latest starter when he made a big play.

Nothing took hold. Even when he started well this season, fans just clap politely when Ryan Miller makes a big save at Rogers Arena. They may as well have been at the symphony.

After Lack was out of the picture, Miller had every opportunity to make himself No. 1 in fans’ hearts, especially when his new backup Jacob Markstrom strained his hamstring right before the regular season began.

At first, it looked like the starter would make the most of his chance. Miller played Vancouver’s first 10 games of the season, giving up just 22 goals as the Canucks built an solid 4-2-4 record and went undefeated on the road.

But November has not been so kind. Miller has seen less than 30 shots in each of his last four starts, but has given up three goals or more in each contest and hasn’t been able to lock down a win.

Though Miller is generally well-respected for his long tenure with the Sabres in Buffalo, his old fans were quick to throw daggers when he gave up the winning goal to Rasmus Ristolainen with 16.6 seconds remaining in regulation time last Saturday, giving Buffalo the 4-3 win.

For Canucks supporters, their most vivid memory of Miller is from long before he signed in Vancouver. It occurred in the midst of his Vezina-winning season when he surrendered Sidney Crosby’s “Golden Goal” in Vancouver at the 2010 Olympics.

The Sabres earned a franchise-best 113 points with Miller in net in 2006-07 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final twice during his tenure in Buffalo, but that’s as far as he could lead them. There’s really no defining moment in Miller’s career to this point where it can be said that he was a big-game goalie.

Miller’s current situation is now complicated by the return of a healthy Jacob Markstrom—a 6’6″ behemoth whose agility and athleticism is just as impressive as his imposing natural size in the net. His run to the Calder Cup Final with the Utica Comets in the AHL last season wasn’t half bad, either, though he’s yet to establish himself as a bona fide NHL caliber netminder.

Markstrom gave up three goals in his first game for the Canucks this season, but with the score tied 2-2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets early in the third period on Tuesday, he made a game-changing save on Nick Foligno that set up the Canucks for the only win of their road trip so far.

Miller remained sure of himself after his loss to Buffalo last Saturday, calling out his teammates—with reason—for their frequent third-period breakdowns this season.

He also deftly flipped the story back onto TSN analyst Ray Ferraro when his name came up earlier in the week as a goalie who benefits from oversized equipment:

After his loss in Ottawa and Markstrom’s win in Columbus—where the Canucks came back from a 3-2 third-period deficit to earn the win—Miller may be out of excuses and out of places to hide.

“I’m going out to try my best every night,” Miller told Mark Spector of Sportsnet earlier this week. “I’m not going to be perfect; I’m not going to always come through, every single time. But I’m going to compete, and when I compete, things will happen. I just want them to respect that about me, and whatever happens after that, they can talk about it, and I’m not going to worry about it.”

Will Miller be able to keep that cool demeanour if his starter’s job starts to slip through his fingers?