Boston Bruins Extend Kevan Miller’s Contract

On Tuesday, January 21, Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced that the team had signed defenseman Kevan Miller to a two-year, one-way contract through the 2015-16 season that is worth $800,000 on the annual cap.

Miller has currently appeared in 16 games for the Boston club. After his first nine games, he was returned to the Providence Bruins. This had nothing to do with his play, but with the fact that if he played ten or more games with Boston and then was returned to Providence he would be subject to waivers. As Chiarelli stated at that time, the Bruins organization was not willing to take the chance of losing him to another team that way. Chiarelli made a point of stressing not only to Miller in his meeting with him but then on the record with the media, that he was sure the next time Miller was recalled it would be for good.

No one could predict that just a short time later during the game against the Ottawa Senators on December 27, that Dennis Seidenberg would get hurt during an entanglement with Senators Cory Conacher, resulting in Seidenberg suffering a torn ACL/MCL that would sideline him for the duration of the season. Once this information was known, Miller was again recalled and has since played an additional seven games, as of Tuesday. In his 16 games he has registered one goal, one assist and seven penalty minutes.

The 26-year-old California native has skated in 19 games with the Providence Bruins this season where he has registered two goals and three assists along with 39 penalty minutes. The defenseman skated in 154 career AHL games with Providence from 2011-2013, during which he scored seven goals and 38 assists.

Prior to joining the P-Bruins in 2011, Miller played at the University of Vermont for four seasons from 2007-2010., appearing in 144 games for the Catamounts, amassing 5-25=30 totals with 97 penalty minutes.

Just after Miller was sent down he made his presence known upon his return to the Providence Bruins. After that game on December 8, The Pink Puck asked him how his experience with Boston would help him with his game in Providence.

“It’s mostly just a confidence booster to go up there and have some success,” he answered. “I just have to keep focusing on my game, and not change anything. Keep working on the things down here that translate up there.”

And that is exactly what he has done. While traveling with the Bruins on their recent California road-trip, Miller dropped the gloves against San Jose Sharks Mike Brown during the second period earning stick taps from his teammates. During Monday’s  bout against the Los Angeles Kings Miller was credited with five hits, the most of any member of his team.

He was interviewed after the Bruins beat the Kings, and here is what he had to say.