New York Rangers injury update: K’Andre Miller takes ‘good step in right direction,’ may return vs. Lightning
The New York Rangers received their first bit of good news after the three-day NHL holiday break concluded. K’Andre Miller, who’s missed six games with an upper-body injury, practiced Friday and is expected to return to the lineup when the Rangers visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
The 24-year-old practiced on the second defense pair with Will Borgen. He also was on New York’s second power-play unit at practice. After the skate, the Rangers activated Miller from injured reserve and assigned defenseman Chad Ruhwedel to Hartford of the American Hockey League.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette didn’t commit to a Miller return against the Lightning. He simply said Miller remains day to day.
“It was a good practice for him and a good step in the right direction,” Laviolette noted.
It’s been a down season for Miller — what else is new for much of the Rangers roster? — but his play picked up a bit right before he got hurt against the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 11. Miller landed on IR and the Rangers were 1-5-0 without him in the lineup.
Miller had a strong start to that Sabres game, but finished with only 13:42 TOI because of the upper-body issue. Two games before that, he had two points (one goal, one assist) in a 7-5 loss to the Seattle Kraken. Miller was plus-3 in his past four games, a somewhat significant number since he’s minus-5 overall this season.
Earlier this season, Miller was a staple on the top defense pair with Adam Fox, and that twosome has the best advanced stats of any Rangers’ pairing this season. However, he’s also played with a host of different defense partners on the second pair. He’s yet to play with Borgen, who was acquired in the Kaapo Kakko trade last week when Miller was still on IR.
Miller is second among Rangers defensemen averaging 21:21 TOI this season. He’s fifth on the Rangers with 40 blocked shots and sixth with 55 hits. His offensive production is way down, with just six points (two goals, four assists) in 28 games. He had 43 points two seasons ago and 30 last season.
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K’Andre Miller’s return to Rangers likely will send Zac Jones to press box
Though his name is swirling in trade rumors, Miller’s return is a big deal for the Rangers, who remain thin on defense even after acquiring Borgen and Urho Vaakanainen (in the Jacob Trouba trade).
Trade rumors or no, the Rangers face an important decision when Miller can become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this upcoming offseason. He earns $3.872 million this season and could be seeking a major raise on a possible long-term deal next summer. He can be an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season.
But for now, Miller should provide a lift for the Rangers, who’ve lost 13 of their past 17 games (4-13-0), including an embarrassing 5-0 drubbing by the New Jersey Devils on Monday when they managed just 12 shots on goal.
The other Rangers defense pairs at practice were Ryan Lindgren with Fox, and Braden Schneider with Vaakanainen.
It appears that Zac Jones is the odd man out in the defense rotation against the Lightning. Jones had a quiet game against the Devils — not much good nor bad — but is minus-5 without a point in his past four games played. He’s gone nine games without a point and was scratched in two straight before the Devils game.
Jones has one goal and eight points in 26 games this season — when he was expected to be an every-game player on the third defense pair,after multiple seasons as the seventh defenseman on the roster.
Like Miller, Jones’ name has popped up in recent trade rumors.
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