Colin Miller could join his team on their upcoming two-game road trip.
NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Devils are inching closer to getting another one of their injured depth players back.
In late October, the organization announced they placed defenseman Colin Miller on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 19. His injury occurred during a team practice when he hit the boards at RWJBarnabas Health Hockey House.
After the team's Saturday afternoon practice, head coach Lindy Ruff provided an update on his defenseman.
"I have hopes that Miller will be able to join us on this trip," Ruff said.
The Devils will face the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
Through the team's first 13 games, the coaching staff has utilized the same six defensemen: Jonas Siegenthaler, Dougie Hamilton, Kevin Bahl, John Marino, Brendan Smith, and Luke Hughes.
The team has struggled in their own zone and allowed 3.69 goals against per game, the fourth-most in the league.
While Miller was injured, the Devils recalled 24-year-old Cal Foote, who did not dress for a game during his time with the big club. Currently, New Jersey does not have an extra healthy defenseman, as Foote returned to Utica on Nov. 10. Having a veteran blueliner with 466 games of experience available as an option should only improve the team's current situation.
When Miller was asked what he hopes to bring to the lineup earlier this season, his answer was short and precise.
"Just stability," he said. "I think there's such a good core of defensemen here. I think as a unit, we can be really good, so I'm just going to help out wherever I can."