DON’T GET ME STARTED certainly kept my fingers crossed that Ryan Miller would present a gift to the Buffalo Sabres with some stellar play in the playoffs

Everybody knows the drill. The Sabres have the Blues 1st and 3rd round picks in the 2015 draft. If St. Louis (and Miller) reached the Conference Finals this season, that 3rd rounder would give Buffalo a first round pick this June. That one flew out the window as Miller suffered his 4th straight loss in the playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks. 5-1

Miller gave up 5 goals Sunday and did not play well in the third period. One of his strengths in Buffalo was stopping the close in shots – or shootouts – Miller gave up 4 in the 3rd period including another breakaway by Chicago’s Sharp, just as the overtime breakaway winner Sharp got in game 5 Friday night.

Things looked good for Miller and Buffalo when the Blues took the first two games of the series. Then Miller allowed quite a few goals – enough to look for tee times as he and St. Louis were dispatched on Sunday.

So, now there is only one hope for the Sabres to still get that first round pick. If Miller signs a contract with St. Louis before June’s draft – that first rounder slips back to Buffalo. If he, as an unrestricted free agent, doesn’t sign – he’s gone from that team and the Sabres get only the first and 3rd rounder, r.

Miller owes it to Buffalo to sign a contract. But hold on there. What if St. Louis takes a look at his performance in the playoffs – as well as having lost 5 of 6 games at the end of the season – and decides to go with another goalie. They have Emery and an outstanding talent on the farm to tend the cage. Certainly that would save the Blues a lot of money that Miller would have been looking for.

If Miller doesn’t sign, would Buffalo romance him to come back? I don’t think his playoff performance warrants some 6 Million bucks. Personally, I think Ott would be a more attractive addition when the Sabres would be ready to entertain free agents.

Oh, fans would say, “Hey Buffalo still gets a first and a third” – but if Buffalo would have had that 1st round pick this year, their own first rounder AND the Islanders first rounder if New York opts to decline retaining that pick, 3 first round picks could be an attractive trade for a good sniper.

So, Miller is gone from the playoffs and probably gone from the St. Louis Blues. Let’s hope the Blues might see some value and offer him a contract that he signs before June’s draft on Don’t Get Me Started.

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