New York Rangers K’Andre Miller’s future on Broadway had been uncertain before the start of the 2024-25 season, before the disastrous struggles, before general manager Chris Drury’s league-wide memo telling other general managers that his team was open for business, and well before the firing of Peter Laviolette, who was replaed last month by Mike Sullivan.
The 25-year-old defenseman is a restricted free agent this summer, but it does not appear that new leadership, headed up by Sullivan, is all that keen on keeping him.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli said that Sullivan and Drury are “looking to re-shape their defensive core,” and that Miller is unlikely to be a part of that picture.
“My understanding is, back from his days in Pittsburgh, even before he got to New York, Mike Sullivan was not a huge fan of K’Andre Miller’s game,” Seravalli said on his Daily Faceoff podcast. “That probably further enforces and supports that Miller is going to be on the move or likely be on the move.
The Rangers have exclusive negotiating rights with Miller until June 30, where they can at least extend a qualifying one-year offer. If they do not send an offer his way, he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and can sign with any team.
Drury would obviously not let that happen, meaning he will either try to trade Miller within the next week or send a qualifying offer that, even if it’s rejected, keeps him under team control to then work out a trade.
Miller would have no shortage of interested suits given his threatening two-way game. Per Seravalli, there are already 12 to 15 teams that are monitoring his availability. He scored seven goals with 20 assists, his lowest output since the 2021-22 campaign, though there were considerable team issues that had him “listening to the noise” a little too much during the first half of the season.
While the Rangers nosedived in the standings just one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy, Drury’s memo and reports of a toxic workplace environment within Madison Square Garden’s ranks.
Ex-captain Jacob Trouba was sent to the Anaheim Ducks during the season, and he was followed earlier this month by long-time forward and franchise fixture Chris Kreider.
There had been whispers that Mika Zibanejad was also on the block, but speculation on that front has subsided.
More moves are coming, and given Sullivan’s reported stance on Miller, the blueliner could be next.
“It’s kind of hard to talk about my future here,” Miller said during his exit interview in late April. “I have a great agent who is going to help me through this summer’s process. I love being a New York Ranger. I think this has been some of the best years of my life. These past couple of years have been unforgettable.”
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