Reports: Leafs pursuing Colin Miller from Vegas

There’s been plenty of talk about the Leafs attempting to improve their blue-line through trade over the last week. Until now, nothing has materialized, but with the league-wide roster freeze set to lift this morning, expect that to ramp up again heading into the weekend.

We’ve seen names out there like Matt Dumba, Sami Vatanen, and Jason Demers, among others, but it appears Colin Miller from the Knights (a Bruin before yesterday) is the player most linked to Toronto specifically. According to a variety of reports, he’s likely to be moved in the next day or so, and the Leafs are a team with plenty of interest in acquiring the former Soo Greyhound.

Even writers on the Toronto side are floating some of this Miller talk out there, so the rumour seems to have a lot of legs. I mean, it isn’t surprising, since this is a move that makes a lot of sense for the Leafs. We know Miller is an underrated right-shot defenceman who does a fantastic job of suppressing shots-against, as covered by Dylan Fremlin here. The fit is perfect, and likely means a big upgrade on Roman Polak, with potential of Miller being able to step up as a legit top-four option alongside Jake Gardiner.

Still, some aren’t buying it, and believe the supposed fit is driving the rumour more than actual talks.

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. Some have been trotting out this Miller-to-Toronto thing all week, and with Vegas officially selecting him last night, the Leafs are presented with a go-around that allows them to pluck him from a Western Conference team instead of trying to deal with a division rival. Either way, with Miller’s strong underlying numbers and a dirt-cheap deal, it’s hard to see this being a move the Leafs regret. It’s also the type of move that keeps something bigger, like a play for Shattenkirk, alive.