In their last game at the time of this writing, the New York Rangers had a 3-0 lead over the Dallas Stars within the first ten minutes of the first period. They went on to lose the lead, but scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period. Then, as they were trying to kill time, K’Andre Miller made a costly turnover in the defensive zone which led to Dallas tying the game again and the Stars went on to win in overtime. This was a game that showed just how flawed the Rangers are as a whole and it also exposed Miller, who has been having the worst season of his career.
The Rangers are currently four points back of a wild card spot and despite them losing more than they are winning, they still have a chance to make the playoffs. They are going to have to make some decisions in regard to what they want to do with their roster as we get closer to the March 7 Trade Deadline and into the offseason. One player who is going to be a restricted free agent (RFA) this summer is Miller and with the way he has been playing the last two seasons and especially this season, the Rangers need to consider trading him now or in the offseason.
No Improvement in Miller’s Play Over the Past Two Seasons
Miler was the 22nd overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and is currently playing in his fifth season with the Rangers. Over his first few years, he made some mistakes as all rookies do, but over time he got better and was establishing himself as a legit top four, maybe even a future top-paring defenseman for this team. His best year was the 2022-23 season, in which he scored nine goals and 43 points in 79 games played. His offensive game was finally breaking through and he was still reliable defensively. However, he hasn’t been able to find that form again and over the past two seasons, his play on the ice has regressed significantly. He had just 30 points last season and this season, he has two goals and seven points in 34 games played.
While his offensive game has declined, his defensive struggles have been the most concerning part of his play. He continues to make mistake after mistake and it seems as if it happens every single game. Many believed that he was struggling because he was paired with Jacob Trouba for the majority of his five seasons so far. With Trouba being gone for over a month now, Miller has yet to find his game at all and even looks worse than he did before. With his game not getting any better and even worse, regressing, now is the time for the Rangers to consider moving on from him before they make a mistake by extending him on a long-term deal.
Miller’s Future Contract/Asking Price Concern
As mentioned earlier, Miller will be an RFA after this season and he is going to be looking for a long-term, big-money contract. He is going to be 25 years old when this season is over and will likely be looking for a deal that takes him to his early 30s so that he can get another contract at that point in his career. If you are the Rangers, the question you have to ask yourself is why would you pay a player that has shown no signs of improvement and has seemingly gotten worse the longer he has been here? He currently makes $3.872 million on his current deal and will likely be looking for at least $5 or $6 million per year on his next one. That is something the Rangers cannot afford to have on this team going forward as they look to retool their roster.
Related: Rangers Have a Tough Decision to Make at The Trade Deadline
Miller has not given the Rangers any reason to even consider giving him an extension at this point. If his play continues like this and they miss the playoffs, he is not going to be on this team next season. While many will say that he is just 25 and still has time to improve his game, the Rangers are in win-now mode and can’t afford to see if Miller finally becomes the player they hoped he would in two or three years. They need answers now and the fact is, he isn’t the player they need him to be and that is why now is the time to move on from him before they get to the offseason and avoid having to extend him to a deal they will regret.
Rangers’ Left Side on Defense Needs a Shakeup
Miller has been one of the many issues on the Rangers’ backend this season and overall, the entire left side of the defense needs to be shaken up because it just isn’t good enough. The three players in question are Miller, Ryan Lindgren and Zac Jones. With it looking more likely that the last two names will be moved before the trade deadline, with Jones and his camp given permission to reach out to other teams as reported by both Frank Seravalli and Elliotte Friedman, the defense is going to look much different as we head into the final half of the season and into 2025-26. The Rangers know they need to improve their blue line, which is why moving on from Miller is the smartest option. If the other two players are going to be out the door, they might as well move him too to make room for other players they bring in via trade or free agency.
The Rangers’ defense has already seen some changes this season with Trouba gone and players like Will Borgen and Urho Vaakanainen being brought in and playing on a nightly basis. It still hasn’t been good enough and they are going to need to bring in new and different players to surround Adam Fox as they move into the future. Now is the perfect time to shake up the defense because the team is already struggling and if you can get back another defenseman or two in these potential trades, then that is what the Rangers and general manager Chris Drury need to do.
It is very disappointing to be talking about Miller in this way as he was once seen as a future top-pairing defenseman for the Rangers. However, his play has not been up to par and a change for both the team and the player is something that both could use at this time. There will be plenty of teams interested in acquiring a 25-year-old with upside and if they can find the right deal before the trade deadline, they need to make it.
