New Jersey Devils solidify defensive depth with Colin Miller

Alex Chauvancy breaks down Tom Fitzgerald's trade for the veteran right-handed defensemen.

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By Alex Chauvancy (@AlexC_THW)

The New Jersey Devils' roster was in pretty good shape heading into free agency. Still, they had a couple of needs, defensive depth being one of them.

However, General Manager Tom Fitzgerald didn't dive into free agency to make a defensive addition. He instead looked to the trade market, acquiring Colin Miller from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick.

Miller was one of the original misfits on the Vegas Golden Knights' inaugural roster in 2017-18. He had a breakout year that season, finishing with 10 goals and 41 points in 82 games.

He has never come close to replicating that production. His offensive impacts have fallen off since then but he did seem to find new life as a third-pair defender with the Stars this past season.

Let's look at what he offers the Devils. 

Miller a solid two-way defenseman

Even though we know Šimon Nemec is the future for the Devils, he'll only be 19 years old when the 2023-24 season begins. Acquiring a stop-gap option until the Devils believe he's fully ready for an NHL role made sense. That's what they'll get with Miller, who has one year left on his contract at a cap hit of $1.85 million. 

Miller did not fare well in his time with the Buffalo Sabres, but it wasn't as bad as his point totals indicated. He finished with a goals above replacement (GAR) of +6.5 in 2021-22 and never had a negative GAR in his time with the Sabres (three years).

This past season, Miller looked closer to the Miller of old. He finished with 21 points in 79 games and had good metrics at five-on-five, finishing with a 52.4 expected goals percentage (xG%). He was the Stars' second-best shot-suppressing defenseman, allowing 2.34 expected goals per 60 minutes; only Joel Hanley allowed less. 

Miller's microstats paint a better picture of why he was one of the Stars' best shot-suppressing blueliners. He was one of the more sound rush defenders in the NHL, ranking in the 79th percentile in entry chance prevention and 72nd percentile in preventing zone entries with puck possession. The Devils were one of the top rush defense teams in 2022-23, so he should help them maintain that spot atop the league.