Three options land on banned defenseman Mitchell Miller’s table

This has been more than messy. The Boston Bruins are now juggling with three different options when it comes to defenseman Mitchell Miller they signed Friday and cut ties with two days later in the wake of public outrage.

On Tuesday, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reported that Miller nonetheless remains under contract with the Bruins and outlined three options for the team and the blue liner to legally part ways.

Though Miller won’t be playing in the NHL or AHL prior to his release, the first option is a buyout at the end of the season, which would result in a salary cap charge of $287,222 through 2027, or twice the remaining length of Miller’s entry-level contract. That means that the Bruins would still owe Miller his contract money for the 2022-23 season, which would likely consist of his $95,000 signing bonus and $82,500 minor-league salary.

The second option would be a settlement that allows Miller to become a free agent, worked on in conjunction with the NHLPA and Miller’s agent, Eustace King, who stated earlier this week that the Bruins were aware of the risks involved in signing his client.

As for the last option, it would be a traditional contract termination filed due to Miller’s past behavior. Something along the lines that we’ve seen this past seasons with the San Jose Sharks and Evander Kane. Wyshynski notes that the NHLPA is expected to file a grievance on behalf of Miller if the Bruins opted to terminate his contract. The NHLPA would also reportedly file a grievance if the Bruins opted to suspend Miller for the length of his contract without pay. The reporter expects the legal action surrounding the situation to pick up later this week.

Miller was found delinquent in Ohio court on charges of assault and found guilty of bullying Meyer-Crothers, a disabled African-American classmate. The real problem though, from my perspective, is that Miller doesn’t appear to have shown any true remorse for his actions. He has filed a court-ordered apology and has completed his court-ordered community service, but the Meyer-Crothers family maintains that they have never received an apology and that Miller is not remorseful in the least. Miller’s agent provided a list of non-profit initiatives that Miller has volunteered his time with, but most if not all of those organizations have refuted the agent’s claims.