Expectations for Bruins with and without Bergeron
When the Bruins didn't buy out Mitchell Miller's contract this summer, it appeared they were just going to continue to pay the controversial defenseman to not play, with the hope being that Miller would eventually ask out of his contract so he could play elsewhere.
As it turns out, the Bruins didn't have to make any decisions on Miller this offseason, because this whole saga actually came to a quiet end with a settlement in February.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post broke the news of the previously unknown settlement on Sunday, writing that an NHL official told him on Friday that Miller and the Bruins had parted ways. A Bruins spokesman confirmed to Brooks via email that “Mitch Miller is not under contract with the team. Cannot comment further.”
According to Brooks, the Bruins did actually terminate Miller's contract just a few days after signing him, when they publicly cut ties with the 21-year-old defenseman after facing backlash due to Miller's history of racist bullying of a former classmate.
However, the Bruins did not put Miller on waivers for the purposes of termination and the contract termination was not mutually agreed upon, so Miller was able to file a grievance through the NHLPA. According to Brooks, the two sides reached a settlement before the case went to a hearing, with the Bruins released from any and all obligations to Miller while Miller received an unknown sum of money and became a free agent.
Miller is expected to try to find a team in Europe to sign with, as it is unlikely any other NHL organization will sign him after seeing the backlash the Bruins faced.
Miller was under contract for $82,500 per year through 2025 plus an additional $95,000 annually in signing bonus money. Had the Bruins bought out the contract, they would have incurred an annual cap hit through 2027 ($215,000 for the next two years, then $129,00 for 2025-26 and 2026-27).
This settlement allows the Bruins to cut ties with Miller while also avoiding that annual cap hit.