NHL insider says Rangers ‘testing the market’ for K’Andre Miller in latest trade rumor
Perhaps the New York Rangers most important decision this offseason will be what to do with K’Andre Miller. They could re-sign the pending restricted free-agent defenseman, who’s got arbitration rights and is due a significant raise. Or the Rangers could trade the talented yet inconsistent 25-year-old, likely to receive a nice haul in return.
Simply, do the Rangers envision Miller being an important part of their core moving forward or do they not trust him after five seasons of wildly up-and-down results?
Well, no matter their final decision, the Rangers are reportedly doing the prudent thing, and that’s exploring what the trade market looks like for Miller, two years before he’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent.
“It’s not a guarantee, but that they are testing the market on Miller,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast Wednesday. “They want to know what it is. We’ll see where it goes. But his name is definitely out there.”
There are some who will say “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire” and believe Miller will be traded this offseason. But that doesn’t need to be the case. General manager Chris Drury wouldn’t be doing his job properly if he failed to explore the trade market and get an idea of what the Rangers could get in return for Miller, even if he ultimately decides to bring the defenseman back.
Related: Trade or sign him? Rangers have massive K’Andre Miller decision to make
Rangers have a few options with K’Andre Miller this offseason
If the Rangers re-sign Miller, they likely have two options. They could bring him back on a two-year deal and continue to assess whether they want to commit longer-term down the road. Of course, that comes with one major drawback: Miller would be walked straight into unrestricted free agency in 2027.
The Rangers could sign him for two years and then trade him ahead of the 2027 deadline if they are not on a Stanley Cup track. That’s not the ideal projection for the organization, however.
Another option is to swallow hard and commit to a longer-term contract with Miller this summer, say 5-7 years at significant raise from his $3.872 million average annual value on his previous deal.. There’s great risk with that because of the wild inconsistencies in Miller’s game. There also could be a huge reward if Miller lives up to his potential, perhaps as Adam Fox’s regular partner on the top defense pair.
The Rangers know Miller best. They drafted him 22nd overall in 2018, developed him and have had him in the NHL since 2021. They know the tantalizing attributes the minutes-munching defenseman has, as well as the mind-boggling turnovers and terrible decision-making in his game.
This is no easy call for Drury and Co. Mike Sullivan’s opinion is key here, too. He’s coached against Miller for five seasons, including in the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Rangers bested the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games. Sullivan’s seen Miller in a shut-down role, matched up against the great Sidney Crosby.
The opinion of the new coach matters a lot.
But until this situation is resolved this offseason, the Rangers are doing the right thing by knowing exactly what their options are and not shutting out any possibilities when it comes to Miller.
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