When expectations are extremely high, an elite goalie’s mindset must reach a delicate balance on a daily basis. That delicate balance has to be centered around one thing; an intense focus on tracking and stopping pucks.

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In order to reach that delicate balance, the goalie must arrive at the rink prepared to work hard every day. They simply cannot waste mental energy on any personal or off-ice issues, on their waning or fragile playing time, on the play of their backup, on how the defense is supporting him, or what the media is saying about his game.

In this regard, I simply feel like Ryan Miller’s frustrations, collisions, tough losses, and tough love from the fans have distracted him to the point where he’s no longer living in the moment. His mind is cluttered with too much noise, and it has leaked into his game-by-game performance.

I have been asked so many times in the last week why Miller is struggling, so I can only imagine how many times he’s been asked the same thing by reporters. I certainly can’t answer this question for you, because ultimately, I feel Miller’s struggles stem directly from what is going on between his ears.

Sometimes I hear and see Miller’s comments to the fans and I sense true anger. He curses. He speaks his mind, and his mind often seems to reflect a truly troubled or unhappy person. I think a lot of this could be his true fiery and competitive nature, but it is a far cry from the more relaxed and even-keeled body language or voice reflection of many other NHL goaltenders.

I am sure Miller is internally asking himself the same question we are all asking right now. I personally couldn’t imagine what type of pressure that places on him, when all he’s simply trying to do is re-gain his confidence “on the fly” and during the most important time of the season.

Think of the potential frustration that exists when Miller tries to answer this question. It becomes a complex mathematical equation. How much of these losses can really be pinned on his own play? How much is due to weak defense? How much is due to the fact the team is lacking chemistry? How much is due to the fact he’s not starting every single game like he did before Jhonas Enroth arrived?

All of these different factors that make up the complex equation becomes nothing more than a pure distraction. It doesn’t allow Miller to focus on things like absorbing high shots, reading plays, staying big in the butterfly, tracking pucks below the goal line, or keeping his glove up and open.

I think a lot of what I’m saying in this post and in my Audio Report above is summarized very nicely by Patrick Kane, who had this to say about Miller’s current situation in a post written by Mike Harrington:

“It’s something you’re going to deal with in your career,” he said. “I’m trying to have a new clean slate when I come to the rink every day, whether it’s practice or game day. Not get too high or too low.”

A “clean slate” is nothing more than what I refer to as a clear mind, or a distraction-free connection between the body and the mind. It’s a cleared path for the synapses in our mind to allow our body to move and react without hesitation, without second-guessing, and in full confidence.

It is not easy to accomplish this mode of thinking when you struggle for half of a season, but it is the delicate balance that every elite goaltender must try to achieve on a daily basis. Welcome to the world of being an NHL goaltender.

With that in mind, I really think Miller needs to just get away from it all. I think he needs a personal retreat. This retreat could last one day, it could last two or three. I feel like Miller is dealing with a copious amount of stress right now, and the only way to flush it out of his system is by going out to the mountains, or getting out of town and into nature.

He needs to find himself again. He needs to re-connect.

We all need this at certain points in our lives. When we accomplish it, we know of it’s true importance, and we are excited to experience those moments again and again. We realize who we truly are, we get back to the basics of doing what we love, and confidence is injected back into our bloodstreams.

I have no doubt in my mind that Miller is still an elite goaltender, and whether it is in February, March, April or October, he will once again be regarded as one of the best goalies in the league.