NHL insider fuels trade rumors, states Rangers coach ‘not huge fan of K’Andre Miller’s game’
Now that Chris Kreider has moved on to Orange County, no New York Rangers player’s spent more time in NHL trade rumors than K’Andre Miller. It’s a big reason why the 25-year-old defenseman was the overwhelming choice by Rangers fans to be the next player traded this offseason, per a poll conducted by Forever Blueshirts.
Miller received a whopping 78.3 percent of the vote amid rumors that the Rangers are open to dealing the restricted free agent as opposed to working out a long-term contract.
We can say with certainty that neither Mike Sullivan nor Chris Drury took part in our poll, unless one or both used fake names or accounts, of course (we jest, we jest). But according to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the new Rangers coach would very likely vote Miller off the island this offseason.
“If there’s more than smoke, there’s absolute fire when it comes to K’Andre Miller,” Seravalli said on a recent Daily Faceoff podcast. “They are looking to re-shape their defensive core.
“My understanding is back from his days in Pittsburgh even before he got to New York that Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh was not a huge fan of K’Andre Miller’s game. That probably further enforces and supports that Miller is going to be on the move or likely be on the move.”
If true, one would think Drury wouldn’t saddle his hand=picked coach with a player he doesn’t think highly of nor wants. Now, we don’t know what Sullivan thinks about Miller. Nor for that fact, do we really know how Drury, the general manager, values the inconsistent defenseman. Neither has said anything specifically about Miller since Sullivan was hired as coach last month.
At his introductory press conference, Sullivan referred to his familiarity with, and respect for, the Rangers roster, pointing to its impressive talent level. He coached against the division-rival Rangers for 10 seasons when he was behind the Pittsburgh Penguins bench, including that wild first-round playoff series in 2022 which the Blueshirts rallied to win in seven games.
However, Sullivan didn’t share his thoughts about specific players, preferring to speak in general terms. Certainly, he’s been more candid behind the scenes with Drury. And if Seravalli’s reporting is on point, then Sullivan has shared his take on Miller with Drury, likely before he was even hired by the Rangers.
Related: NHL insider shares another crucial reason why Rangers not looking to trade Mika Zibanejad
Rangers have plans to ‘re-shape their defensive core’
Seravalli stated that the Rangers want to “re-shape their defensive core.” That process began last season, when Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren were traded out of the top-four. The Rangers brought in Will Borgen in the Kaapo Kakko trade with the Seattle Kraken, and he played a steady, physical game, largely paired with the more erratic Miller. Borgen signed a five-year, $20.5 million contract to remain with the Rangers.
New York also added Urho Vaalanainen in the Trouba trade with the Anaheim Ducks, and acquired Carson Soucy in a pre-deadline trade with the Vancouver Canucks. There are reports that Soucy, owed $3.5 million on the final season of his contract, could be traded again this offseason. Vaakanainen appears set for a third-pair role.
At this point, Adam Fox, Braden Schneider and Borgen are locks on defense for the Rangers, with Vaakanainen likely slated for regular duty. Matthew Robertson just re-signed on a two-year deal with the Rangers, though he’s considered more of a depth option at this point. Zac Jones is a disgruntled RFA with arbitration rights and could be traded.
Moving Miller and Soucy would open two spots on the defense corps, one of which can be argued remained unfilled properly since Lindgren was trade to the Colorado Avalanche in March. The Rangers either need to make a savvy hockey trade or two — not a salary dump — to fill one or two spots in their top four, or they likely need to create more salary-cap space if they want to sign a top free-agent defenseman like Vladislav Gavrikov.
Either way, many signs point to Miller being a goner this summer, something that was not on the radar after he played an effective shutdown role in 2022-23 and also finished with 43 points. He appeared headed for a massive payday and a bright future at that point. Now, all bets are off.
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