Why Rangers shouldn’t be ‘kicking themselves’ over K’Andre Miller trade
At a time when it’s easy to dump on the New York Rangers for trading K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes last summer, Keith Kavanaugh of PuckPedia isn’t doing so.
Yes, that’s even with Miller thriving with the Hurricanes and currently playing in his first Stanley Cup Final, while the Rangers hit the golf course back in April after failing to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight season.
The Rangers traded Miller to their division rival July 1 for defenseman Scott Morrow, a 2026 first-round pick (No. 26 overall, originally belonging to the Dallas Stars) and a second-rounder this year. The 26-year-old defenseman turned in a terrific first season in Raleigh after signing a eight-year, $60 million contract following the trade.
He’s been even better in the playoffs, picking up his ninth assist in 14 games, with a helper on Jordan Staal’s goal that tied Game 1 of the Cup Final 3-3 in the second period Tuesday. The Hurricanes ended up losing 5-4 to the Vegas Golden Knights and trail the best-of-7 series 1-0 heading into Game 2 at home on Thursday.
Miller leads all postseason skaters with a plus-14 rating.
Meanwhile, the Rangers finished last in the Eastern Conference, and Morrow never solidified a role in New York, part of a disappointing first season in the organization.
But Kavanaugh says everyone must take a breath and step back because there’s plenty to unpack with the Miller trade.
“The Rangers, I don’t think they’re kicking themselves because 1) they didn’t really have a lot of [salary] cap space to work with and K’Andre Miller ended up signing a long-term extension with Carolina. So, I think that was a part of it,” Kavanaugh told Forever Blueshirts on the Rink Rap podcast. ” And 2), they just basically didn’t view him as a core piece to their long-term plans, which is totally fine.”
The first part is certainly true. Miller was an RFA with arbitration rights, due a big raise after five years as a top-four defenseman on Broadway. Plus, he could’ve become an unrestricted fee agent in 2026. It was decision-making time, and the Rangers, up against the cap, had to move on from Miller in order to sign free agent Vladislav Gavrikov, who became a first-pair fixture for less money.
And many people agreed with the Rangers decision that Miller wasn’t worth a long-term gamble based on his uneven play, especially his final two seasons with them. Then, the Hurricanes came after Miller with an offer sheet. No way, the Rangers were going to match, so they swung the best trade they could.
Right now, it looks like a steal because, as Kavanaugh correctly pointed out, Miller “just fits like a glove in the Carolina Hurricanes system.”
But he also wonders if Miller was going to ever reach his full potential with the Rangers.
“So, we’re seeing this breakout in him in Carolina’s system, where maybe he wouldn’t be breaking out like that in New York’s system,” Kavanaugh explained. “I still think he could’ve been a very solid player for the Rangers, but I just think it’s being a product of the environment in Carolina. And then maybe too, he didn’t like the bright lights of New York, and that’s OK. Maybe that impacted some of the way he played in New York. Maybe it wasn’t just on the organization. Maybe it was on himself, as well. It’s great seeing him thrive in Carolina.”
So, in other words, the Rangers can’t beat themselves up here. And maybe, if Morrow becomes an NHL regular, and/or the draft picks turn up a solid player or two, then it will all work out, whether Miller wins the Stanley Cup or not this spring.
“I think he’s doing a great job, but I think there’s truth to both sides where the Rangers let this player go where everyone’s like ‘obviously, he was going to go off in Carolina,’ but he wouldn’t have gone off in New York, and maybe the return they got for him will be better for them in the long term.”
