Strong market developing for Rangers defenseman

While the Rangers opened up over $6MM in cap space when they moved Chris Kreider to Anaheim, they’re still expected to continue shaking up their roster.  One of the potential casualties has long been speculated to be defenseman K’Andre Miller.  Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that between 12 and 15 teams have inquired about the 25-year-old.

Miller is a pending restricted free agent and is coming off a bridge contract that saw him carry a cap charge of $3.872MM.  However, the back-loaded structure of that agreement makes it that his required qualifying offer is $4.646MM while also giving him salary arbitration eligibility.  The belief has been that the Rangers aren’t prepared to give him a long-term deal while a short-term agreement takes him that much closer to testing unrestricted free agency, something he’s eligible for in 2027.

Before the Kreider trade, Miller was a speculative offer sheet candidate, knowing that New York still needs to re-sign winger Will Cuylle while wanting to add via free agency or trades.  The Kreider trade lessens that risk to an extent as the Rangers now have $13.1MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.

Two years ago, it appeared as if the 25-year-old had taken a big step toward becoming an all-around key piece on New York’s back end.  That season, Miller notched a career-best 43 points (including 38 at even strength) while logging nearly 22 minutes per game.  But their cap situation at the time necessitated the bridge deal, something that might ultimately have worked out for the best for the team given what has happened since then.

Miller’s play took a step back in 2023-24 with his production dropping to 30 points while there were more defensive miscues than desired.  This season, it was more of the same.  His output dropped to just 27 points in 74 games while the defensive slipups were more frequent as the Rangers went from a projected preseason contender to a team that ultimately missed the playoffs altogether.

Despite that, Miller has five NHL seasons under his belt as a top-four defender.  He’s willing to throw the body around and block shots and as his 2022-23 performance showed, he has some offensive skills.  Between that, a 6’5 frame, and being a strong skater, there’s a lot to work with which is why close to half the league has apparently kicked the tires on his availability, believing that a change of scenery and a new coach could help him get back to his previous form.

That certainly bodes well for GM Chris Drury.  With the UFA market for defensemen not being particularly deep and Miller heading toward his prime years, it appears that the Rangers should be able to get a strong trade return for the blueliner although they’ll have an additional key roster spot to try to fill if and when a move gets made.  But with a goal of continuing to shake up the core group in New York, this appears to be an increasingly viable way to do just that.