Drew Miller is going back to the AHL after playing 13 games for the Ducks over the last month-or-so, collecting four assists and accidentally picking Cincinnati to win the Super Bowl. Newly acquired Mike Brown — a more accomplished fighter and a bigger body at 6-feet, 210 pounds — is a more natural fit as an energy-line winger than Miller (6-2, 165), who was leading the Iowa Chops at the time of his recall.

The demotion gives pause to Miller’s long-term future with the Ducks. He’s under contract for another year at $525,000 and, between now and the end of the 2009-10 season, there’s great value to having him as a backup top-6 forward on a two-way contract. But he hasn’t shown the ability to stick in the NHL, given plenty of chances both this year and last. This year especially, some of the players Miller was asked to replace in that top-6 grouping (Brendan Morrison, Todd Marchant) gave him ample opportunity to steal a permanent job. But he didn’t.