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“We feel with where we’re at, we need good goaltending every night to be competitive with these young players up front, so we’re gonna talk to Ryan and his agent and if we can figure something out we’d love to have him back.”

(UPDATE: Seems Benning meant “eventually, not now,” he explained to Ben Kuzma Wednesday morning.)

This changes the conversation somewhat. Re-signing Miller as a starter didn’t seem sensible, especially with Markstrom set to begin a three-year deal that will pay him $3.67 million per season. As a starter, Miller would likely be entitled to that or more. In the cap era, it simply seemed wasteful.

But if Miller is willing to return in a backup role, then perhaps he’d be willing to take less. After all, the Canucks were likely to sign a veteran backup, anyhow, as a stopgap until top prospect Thatcher Demko is ready. Provided Markstrom is still getting the bulk of the starts and development time, who would mind if Miller was the option behind him?

The veteran netminder would be great to have around as Markstrom eases into the role, his first real crack at a starter’s responsibility. But the wise, experienced Miller would also be a great asset for the Canucks’ young skaters, not to mention Demko waiting in the wings.

This is all provided he doesn’t re-sign, then steal the job from Markstrom out of training camp. Canucks fans would hate that.