Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller said Thursday he believes he's likely to be dealt before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 5.
Miller has been the subject of trade rumors since prior to the season because he can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
"I'm answering these questions because it seems likely, given my status at the end of the year, they're likely to trade me," Miller said. "And that's where we're at."
If Miller is not traded, he could re-sign with Buffalo; however, if he goes elsewhere the Sabres would get nothing in return.
"If we had more time to see what moves they made before the trade deadline, what's a logical business move, I could take all summer and we could see where everything shakes out, but it seems like it's a risky proposal for both sides," he said. "So right now, it's a business decision, it's not really a personal thing, see where it goes."
Miller has played all 540 of his NHL games for the Sabres, who selected him in the fifth round (No. 138) of the 1999 NHL Draft. He made his debut on Nov. 19, 2002.
The 33-year-old is 15-22-3 with a 2.72 goals-against average and .923 save percentage this season for the last-place team in the NHL standings. He could be making his final home start Friday against the San Jose Sharks.
"We'll see how everything plays out, I'm not going to close off any avenues," Miller said. "... With a little bit of uncertainty, you don't want to miss an opportunity to say thank you."
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