Former Rangers defenseman ‘loving life’ with division rival
K’Andre Miller faces his former team Wednesday night, nearly five months after the New York Rangers shipped him to the Carolina Hurricanes in a sign-and-trade in early July. And to say that the 25-year-old defenseman has no regrets is an understatement.
Even with the heavy criticism sent his way last season during New York’s dumpster fire of a season, and the fact that clearly general manager Chris Drury didn’t have the appetite to invest in him long term, Miller appears quite happy with how things turned out.
The Rangers moved Miller to their division rival, who then signed him to a lucrative eight-year, $60 million contract. New York received defenseman Scott Morrow and two draft picks — a conditional first-round selection in 2026 and a second-rounder next year.
“Obviously, I knew what the summer might entail. I hadn’t gone through that before, and obviously, it was not unexpected. It was a little shocking to go through that experience,” Miller explained to the media after the morning skate. “But I’m thriving now, I’m loving life. It’s been amazing coming down here to Carolina and [I] came to start a new career here, so it’s been fun.”
Miller’s averaging a career-high 22:52 TOI over 16 games with the Hurricanes, who host the Rangers for a Thanksgiving Eve clash at Lenovo Center. Expected to fill a second-pair role, Miller’s spent much of his 5v5 time on the top defense pair since Jaccob Slavin is on IR and only played two games so far.
The 2018 first-round pick (No. 22 overall) by the Rangers scored two goals in his Hurricanes debut Oct. 9 against the New Jersey Devils. He’s added eight assists since for a total of 10 points.
Miller missed six games with an injury from Oct. 23 – Nov. 4. The final game he missed in that stretch was against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, which would’ve been a homecoming for Miller.
Nonetheless, coach Rod Brind’Amour is pleased with all that Miller’s done to help the Hurricanes (14-6-2) sit atop the Metropolitan Division with 30 points.
“He’s been great. It’s been everything we had hoped for,” Brind’Amour told reporters pregame. “You kind of know the player from coaching against him, but you don’t know what his impact can be. When he’s on, it’s an elite player there. He’s been a little nicked up this year, unfortunately, so we’ve missed him a little bit. But when he’s been going, feeling good, he’s been really effective.”
Rangers recall Connor Mackey from AHL Hartford
Connor Mackey — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
In a sign that Will Borgen may not be ready to be activated off IR, the Rangers recalled defenseman Connor Mackey from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Wednesday afternoon.
Borgen’s missed five of the past six games with an upper-body injury. He participated in New York’s morning skate in Raleigh, wearing a regular jersey, after he wore a no-contact sweater at practice the day before.
With Borgen on injured reserve, the Rangers had six defensemen on the active roster. The Rangers played without an extra defenseman on the roster Monday, when they defeated the St. Louis Blues at home 3-2. But being on the road, it appears the Rangers wanted a seventh defenseman as a precaution. And if Borgen’s not healty enough yet, it required a call up from the minors.
After the game in Raleigh, the Rangers head to Boston for a matinee contest against the Bruins on Black Friday.
Mackey has 42 games of NHL experience, including three games with the Rangers the previous two seasons. The 29-year-old has three assists and nine penalty minutes in 15 games with Hartford this season.
