Rise of K’Andre Miller

When it comes to elite young NHL defensemen, the names are obvious. Cale Makar and Adam Fox lead the list that includes Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider and former first overall picks Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. It may be time to add New York Rangers blueliner K’Andre Miller’s name to that list.

In the 2018 NHL Entry Draft the New York Rangers selected defenseman, K’Andre Miller with the 22nd overall pick. Miller, a converted forward, played two years at the University of Wisconsin before joining the Rangers for the 2020-21 season.

The Rangers, still in the middle of a rebuild, were looking at their young prospects to make an impact. For Miller, just 21 years old, there weren’t any real expectations going into the season. They just wanted him to contribute as best as he could and learn to play at the NHL level. Instead, Miller was excellent and exceeded all expectations. Playing one of the toughest positions for a rookie, Miller was a bright spot for the Rangers and earned the honors of making the All-Rookie First Team.

Fast forward to the beginning of the 2021-22 season and the Rangers were thinking playoffs. But in order for that to happen they needed the young guys to step up and consistently contribute. Miller was looking to build off a solid rookie season, hoping to take the next step and become a force in the Rangers lineup.

Expectations were high after a good first season, but I don’t think anyone could have predicted what we saw out of this K’Andre Miller. He got off to a slow start with only two goals and six points in his first 39 games. There were some defensive lapses you would expect from a young player and he relied on stick checks instead of his big body. But in mid-December, something clicked and Miller was a completely different player.

It was almost as if someone inside the Rangers organization took Miller, stood him in front of a mirror and said, “Look at how big you are. Use that, use your size and strength to your advantage. Become a physical force and that will help you open up your game offensively and defensively.” He became noticeable every game and was making an impact every night, making great defensive plays and highlight reel goals.

His ability to use his strength and long strides make him an incredible skater. Add in his size and hockey IQ, combined with the fact he used to be a forward. It’s obvious when he jumps into the offense that he knows how to drive the net.

K’Andre Miller finished the season with seven goals and 20 points and was one of only 15 defensemen to play in all 82 games. He helped the Rangers to reach 110 points and their first playoff berth since the 2017 season. The playoffs are an entirely different animal and it would be exciting to see how the young players on the team would step up. As good as Miller was during the regular season, he somehow found a way to take his play to another level for the playoffs.

Even better in the playoffs

Triple overtime in your first career playoff game is one way of getting thrown into the fire but that set the tone for Miller and the Rangers the rest of the postseason. For the entire Pittsburgh series, you could see Sidney Crosby trying to get under Miller’s skin and doing his usual antics but it didn’t faze Miller one bit. He seemed to enjoy it and time after time would stand his ground and not back down.

You could see Miller’s confidence grow throughout the playoffs. He was the second highest scoring defenseman on the team with two goals and seven points. He averaged 24:47 minutes of ice time per game with only Adam Fox playing more minutes. It’s not what you would expect from a 22-year-old, second-year blueliner, but K’Andre Miller is special and is quickly becoming one of the most important players on this Rangers team. Tampa Bay Coach Jon Cooper certainly knew that. Look at what he said to Miller in the handshake line.

You could make the argument Miller was right behind Zibanejad, Shesterkin, and Fox when it came to importance to the team in the postseason. If he continues on this path, it would not be surprising to see him make a few All-Star teams in the future and even be a potential Norris candidate.

A new crop of young NHL defenseman are beginning to take over and we shouldn’t be surprised if K’Andre Miller’s name will soon be mentioned with the likes of Makar, Bowen Byram, Fox, Quinn Hughes, Seider, Power and Dahlin.

There is a bright future ahead for K’Andre Miller and hopefully he continues to grow and expand his game and be a stalwart on the Rangers’ blue line for many years to come.