The Winnipeg Jets announced today that defenseman Colin Miller has been activated off of injured reserve. Miller has been sidelined since January, when he underwent surgery on his knee.
The 33-year-old’s activation will allow him to potentially skate in the three contests left in the Jets’ regular season schedule. His activation would also allow him to enter the team’s playoff lineup should Winnipeg go on a miracle run in these final few days of the regular season and snatch a playoff spot from either the Los Angeles Kings or Nashville Predators.
It’s been a difficult season for Miller, who has been limited to just 15 games due to his injury as well as some healthy scratches from early in the season. In those 15 games, he’s managed just one point, and is averaging just 13:45 time on ice per game. That’s a slight decline from how much he was playing last season (14:31 per game) and well below his career average of 17:10 per game.
While two or three games won’t be able to fully reverse the course of his season, it will be enough for him to build some positive momentum for himself and enter the summer with a greater level of confidence than he might have otherwise had if he wasn’t able to return after his January surgery. It’s an important offseason for Miller, who is slated to hit unrestricted free agency for the fourth time in his career.
Miller is currently making $1.5MM against the cap on what is the second year of a two-year deal he signed on July 1, 2024. The difficulty he’s had staying on the ice this season, combined with a less-than-stellar 2024-25, makes it somewhat unlikely he’ll be able to match that number this summer.
AFP Analytics currently projects his next deal at one year, $907K. While it’s unlikely he’ll be able to do too much to change his leaguewide stock in what remains of the regular season, a good performance or two in games where the Jets’ playoff hopes are still alive certainly can’t hurt.