Ex-Rangers defenseman might miss 1st visit back to Garden due to injury
K’Andre Miller is scheduled to make his return to Madison Square Garden on Nov. 4 when his new team, the Carolina Hurricanes, visits his old club, the New York Rangers, But the 25-year-old defenseman, whom the Rangers traded to their Metropolitan Division rival on July 1, might not be ready for the reunion.
After taking warmups on Thursday, Miller was a late scratch for the Hurricanes’ 5-4 shootout win against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. Miller reportedly has a lower-body injury.
When asked about Miller’s status, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said postgame, “I don’t know what’s going on there; that could be a while. It’s tough on the injury front right now.”
The Hurricanes are 6-1-0 entering their game against the Stars in Dallas on Saturday, and they’ve done it despite battling a host of injuries.
They were already without two top-four defensemen, Jaccob Slavin (lower body) and Shayne Gostisbehere (lower body), before Miller couldn’t go against Colorado. No. 2 goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has yet to play this season because of a lower-body issue.
Two regular forwards, William Carrier and Eric Robinson, left the game against the Avalanche with injuries, and Brind’Amour said each could be sidelined for an “extended period.”
Ex-Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller injured, could miss return to MSG
Miller had surgery in May for an upper-body injury sustained late in the 2024-25 season and didn’t play at all in the preseason with his new team. But he was healthy enough to score two goals in Carolina’s season-opening 6-3 win against the New Jersey Devils, and has four points (two goals, two assists) in six games, averaging 23:32 TOI.
The Hurricanes paid a big price for Miller, who was a restricted free agent, both in talent and money. They sent the Rangers a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 or 2027 draft, and Carolina’s top prospect, 22-year-old defenseman Scott Morrow – who quickly made an impression during the preseason before being assigned to Hartford of the American Hockey League.
As part of the sign and trade, Carolina inked Miller to an eight-year, $60 million contract ($7.5 million AAV).
The trade came on the same day the Rangers signed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year, $49 million contract ($7 million average annual value).
Miller had 27 points (seven goals, 20 assists) in 74 games for the Rangers last season. He was selected by New York in the first round (No. 22 overall) in the 2018 draft and has 132 points (36 goals, 96 assists) in 368 regular-season games, as well as 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 43 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
But it was no secret that the Rangers were seeking to trade the talented-but-inconsistent defenseman. However, the haul they received and their willingness to deal him within the division were surprises to many — word had been that the Rangers were frustrated in their efforts to consummate a deal and that no one was willing to meet their asking price.
Miller said after the trade that the Hurricanes would be a great fit for his game.
“I think we’ve always had great battles in New York, at least when I was on the other side playing against Carolina,” he said at the time. “They have such a fast team. They get up and down the ice in a fast motion and do everything as a team.
“It’s a fun group to watch, and they’ve had a lot of success recently, so I’m excited to join that style of game, and they have a great team over there, so I’m excited.”
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