Former Canucks Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek join San Jose Sharks as scouts

Miller spent three seasons in Vancouver after signing with the club as a free agent in the 2014 offseason. He was a strong presence in goal despite backstopping the Canucks during some very lean years where the club’s roster construction flaws — particularly on their blue line — were heavily exposed. Miller logged a .911, .916, and .914 save percentage in his three seasons in Vancouver. Of course, he’s better known for his time in Buffalo, which is where he was a teammate of current San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier.

Although the two players never crossed paths in Vancouver, Vanek and Miller did spend nine seasons together in Buffalo. Vanek — or “Tommy Gun” as he was commonly known as among Canucks fans — signed a one-year deal to come to Vancouver for the 2017-18 season. Vanek put up 17 goals and 24 assists — good for 41 total points — through 61 games with the Canucks before being flipped to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the NHL Trade Deadline. Vanek’s trade to Columbus was the one that brought eventual fan-favourite Tyler Motte to Vancouver.

The Sharks are certainly in a rebuild phase after finishing with the fourth-worst record in the league this past season. They’ve shipped out Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson and are clearly putting an added focus on developing the young talent they possess.