It’s been a while since we’ve seen Kevan Miller on the ice, and it’ll remain that way for the foreseeable future.
The Boston Bruins defenseman has been trying to work his way back from a broken kneecap sustained in April 2019. He’s needed a total of four procedures and has suffered numerous setbacks along the way.
Nevertheless, he’s shown plenty of resolve in trying to get back on the ice, which is why he earned the Bruins’ nomination for the Masterton Trophy. He’s shut down for the rest of the season and, as an unrestricted free agent, is at an uncertain point in his NHL career.
Miller shared an update on himself Wednesday during a Zoom call with Boston media.
More Bruins: John Moore Sheds Light On What Return To Team Facility, Practice Has Been Like
“It’s been a long haul,” Miller said from Colorado. “It’s taken a toll, for sure. Mentally, physically, like I said, it’s taken a toll. it’s been a long road, but I think that I’m trying to keep things in perspective. I’m still able to walk around and spend some time with my family and I’m starting to exercise again and starting to feel a little bit somewhat normal again. So I’m hoping to get back to 100 percent if and when that may be and rejoin the team at some point and get back to playing hockey.
“I wake up every morning, I do rehab, I do strength training with the intention of getting that knee back to 100 percent, and I sure hope that’s the case. And at this point, too, my first and foremost is I just want to function normally. That’s step one. And so I’m getting back to that, and then step two is to be able to do some things off the ice that I was able to do before. And then get 100 percent off the ice, and then once I’m able to cross that bridge, then I think at that point I’ll be able to put the skates back on and hopefully be able to go out and perform like I was able to.”
Miller did note that he does not have a concrete date circled on the calendar for when he would like to return or get back onto the ice. That’s in part because of the coronavirus shutdown, which in a way benefitted Miller because it took some of the pressure off his rehab.
Still, though, the defenseman is 32 years old, and it’s unclear what exactly his future is in Boston or in the NHL in general. He indicated that at no point has he felt like throwing his arms up and calling it a career, and he reiterated throughout the call Wednesday that his goal is to get back to playing hockey.
In other words, it doesn’t sound like he has plans to retire this offseason.
As far as talks of signing a new contract with the Bruins, that hasn’t really come up, according to the blueliner.
“To be honest with you I haven’t had any discussions with my agent,” Miller said. “I’m sure my agent has had discussions with the Bruins and I’m sure they talk. I just ask that I don’t really want to know or deal with that right now. I just want to focus on being healthy off the ice. And then once I’m able to do that, I can think about on-ice stuff, and that’s just my goal, is getting back to being 100 percent healthy off the ice and then I can focus about on the ice.”
