Maple Leafs Prospect at Risk of Losing NHL Contract Following Setback

As the NHL regular season keep chugging along, the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to keep pace with the Florida Panthers and get themselves in a good position heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But they also need to think of their future and who might fit in two, three, five years down the line.

They have a few young pieces to build with like Matthew Knies, Jacob Quillan, and Easton Cowan though they have another potential college standout to take a look at.

Joe Miller, a 5'9 forward out of Harvard University just finished his junior season at the Ivy League school, and the 180th overall draft pick of the Maple Leafs in 2020 had a bit of a setback for his season, putting his future with the team in jeopardy.

Miller had 23 points in 28 games, which is a slight drop-off from his production with Harvard the past two seasons, and a huge step backward from his 68 point outburst in 2021-22 for the Chicago Steel of the USHL.

He seemed to be poised for success but was taken over by fellow forward Mick Thompson, who had 32 points for the Crimson, and there are some serious concerns about his height, given who now runs the Maple Leafs.

Miller is 22, the same age as Matthew Knies. Though he offers the same youthful exuberance as Knies, he doesn't offer nearly as much upside and Toronto might take a pass on him given his size and inconsistencies.

However, they could also take a look at him given their track record with college players, plus Toronto does employ the likes of Nicholas Robertson and Max Domi; not necessarily towering players in their own right.

But with questions surrounding who is going to be on the team's roster come 2025-26, and several Marlies players looking for a chance to earn their stripes (not to mention Easton Cowan), they might end up keeping hold onto Miller to see what he can bring.

For now though, it looks like Miller will need to improve on his production and get things rolling again if he wants to ensure his spot for the team a few years from now.