K’Andre Miller has been one of the many bright spots on the Rangers over the past few years. It started during his rookie season when he came in and immediately started playing top-four minutes on the back end. He followed it up the next year by taking his game to the next level on the defensive side of the game. Now, after having a slow start to the season, Miller is quickly finding his offensive game and is becoming a more effective player for the team.
This season, Miller has put up 20 points in 41 games. This matches his point total from last season and he has already set a new career high in assists with 17 so far. It was not until December that Miller truly found his offensive game. He scored his first goal of the year against the St. Louis Blues and scored one of the best goals of the season against the Flyers a few weeks later. Finding his offensive game has made him a more dangerous player for the Rangers.
His biggest offensive moment game in the game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Miller scored the game-winning goal in the third period as he deflected a shot from Mika Zibanejad. This helped the Rangers hang on to win the game and it was a statement win from the team as they took down the top team in the Metro Division. If Miller is able to keep this up for the remainder of the season, not only will this help the team, it will help him in contract talks over the summer.
As the offensive numbers continue to rise, so does the likely hood of Miller getting paid even more than what many thought he would get. The Rangers are going to be in a cap squeeze this summer and with Miller, Alexis Lafreniere, and Filip Chytil all needing new deals, this summer could be one of the tough decisions being made. Miller has already proven he is very solid defensively and if his offensive game continues to grow, Miller will be looking at a nice new contract for next season.
This defenseman has all the potential in the world and he will continue to develop into an all-around better defenseman in the NHL. He is showing signs that he can play on both sides of the puck and the offense he is providing is helping the Rangers in many ways. The future is looking bright for K’Andre on Broadway.