Postseason injury report: Kevan Miller

It felt at times whatever the Boston Bruins got out of Kevan Miller this year was going to be a bonus. The defenseman had multiple knee surgeries and missed all of the 2019-20 season and had last played on April 4, 2019. The team signed him to a one-year contract, after a long road of recovery following knee surgery.

“You want to play every game you can,” Miller said in today’s postseason interviews. “That was my goal this year. Obviously that didn’t happen.”

Miller started the 2020-21 season and appeared in 15 games before missing time between February 18 - April 6. He missed 20 games with his knee setback in the middle of the season.

In his interview, he said his knee is now doing well. He also confirmed it was a concussion that kept him out of the second-round series with the New York Islanders and for Game 5’s first round.

In Game 4 against the Washington Capitals, Dmitry Orlov knocked Miller out of the remainder of the playoffs with a high hit. The play set Miller to the hospital and was assessed only a double minor during the game. Orlov was never fined.

“I wish he would have just hit me in the shoulder instead of the chin,” Miller said. “Just hit me in the shoulder. Hit me clean and I’m still playing. Hit me square.”

Miller revealed he was likely going to be ready to play if there was a Game 7 in Boston. He said he skated with the team on Tuesday before they headed to Long Island, took the impact test the following day and was cleared for contact on Thursday.

He said it was hard watching the series on the sidelines and being “super close” to returning for a potential Game 7 which Miller emphasized “makes it even worse.”

The defenseman’s future is uncertain and he said he’ll take this off-season to make a decision with his family regarding next season.