Ryan Miller: Full-season NHL bubbles wouldn't be fair to my family or me

Ryan Miller may have turned 40 this summer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s done with a playing career that has him climbing the all-time lists. The Anaheim Ducks backup goaltender is without a contract for the 2020-21 season and will wait to see what the next campaign looks like before making a decision on his future, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Quite succinctly, Miller explained that if the NHL moves to full-season bubbles it wouldn’t be fair to him or his family for him to sign up and leave for nine months, a notion that is likely shared by many around the league.

Miller is currently 15th on the all-time wins list for NHL goaltenders, just two behind another former Buffalo Sabres legend, Dominik Hasek. He was a player Miller was hoping to catch as recently as May, although it’s still unclear if he’ll get that chance. Even at his age, the veteran of 17 NHL seasons recorded a .907 save percentage in 2019-20, better than many backups around the league.

• Nate Thompson isn’t put off by the Flyers' disappointing playoff loss, in fact, he’s “very interested” in returning to Philadelphia next season if possible. Thompson told reporters Monday that he wants to be a part of a “window of winning” that he sees in Philadelphia. The 35-year-old forward was outstanding in the faceoff dot for Philadelphia this postseason, winning more than 60% of his 168 draws. He’s coming off a one-year contract worth $1 million and recorded 15 points in the regular season.
• Even though his contract doesn’t end until 2021, Brendan Gallagher was asked Monday about his future with the Montreal Canadiens. As he spoke to reporters including Arpon Basu of The Athletic, Gallagher (who is still recovering from a broken jaw), explained that his agent has had preliminary discussions with the Canadiens about his next deal. Gallagher, 28, has turned into one of the biggest bargains in the entire league at his current cap hit of $3.75 million, considering he has scored 86 goals over his past 223 regular-season games (an 82-game pace of nearly 32 goals). Add in all the intangibles he brings to Montreal, including leadership and his innate ability to get under the opponent’s skin ,and Gallagher is one of the Canadiens’ most important players.