New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller is officially a restricted free agent this summer.
Miller, a 22nd overall pick in the 2018 NHL draft, signed a two-year extension in 2023 at an AAV of $3,872,000. Those two years are up. Meaning — its time for the Rangers and Miller to either negotiate a new contract or for the franchise to move on from the fifth-year defenseman.
So, what's the ideal move for the Rangers?
To trade or to extend?
Looking at this question, it's really important we first analyze both how Miller has performed as a New York Ranger overall and in the most recent 2024-25 NHL season.
The projections for for keeping Miller are quite costly, especially for a team in New York’s situation. After all his last contract was a two-year deal worth $7,744,000 with a cap hit of $3,872,000.
The Rangers could have issues meeting this sort of demand. They are projected to have just over $8.4 million in available cap space, according to PuckPedia. New York has to negotiate new contracts with the likes of Matt Rempe, Brett Berard, and Will Cuylle this offseason in addition to Miller.
You could make the case that all three of those players deserve a new contract before Miller.
This is because Miller's 97 giveaways this season nearly tripled his total from 2023-24. On top of that, he finished this season with 27 points compared to the 43 he tallied for the 2022-23 season. This season it became obvious to anyone with eyes that Miller was prone to bad turnovers that more often that not resulted in a goal from the opposing team.
As a whole he was also just inconsistent.
It's unfortunate but it's just become apparent that he’s never going to become the elite defenseman the Rangers had hoped for when the drafted him in 2018. When you consider his proximity to unrestricted free agency, the Rangers have limited options in terms of contract length they can offer. A one or two-year deal would put Miller in a situation of ultimate leverage, and a long-term deal would also carry risk if he continues to underperform.
The Mike Sullivan Factor
To put it bluntly — a first year head coach is likely not going to want to put forth the time effort on a player who delivered as little as Miller did last season.
If I had to put money on it, I'd say that Sullivan would prefer to find new talent to fill Miller's slot as a defenseman rather than put forth the energy to keep him. This could come via acquiring a player who has played for him previously, or a player who fits the archetype of what he looks for in a defenseman.
Most would agree that Miller has had more than his fair shot of proving he should be a Ranger going forward, and after failing to capitalize on the opportunity that was created when Ryan Lindgren was hurt, and later traded, it is probably best for the Rangers and Miller to part ways this summer.