Potential Solutions for Rangers Defenseman as Time Runs Out
With the NHL Draft weekend coming to an end, the time has come to focus on the free agents. After the Rangers gained more flexibility by sending their first-round pick to Pittsburgh, now is the time to look into the free agents. Ever since Chris Drury gave New York some cap space by sending Chris Kreider to Anaheim, it leaves them with several options to explore. More talks of Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov appear every day, making his new home with the Rangers almost inevitable at this point, making fans believe Adam Fox will soon find his new partner on the ice this fall. Though as this team's defensive line looks to be changed, there's still one major piece of this offseason that needs to be figured out, all on a single restricted free agent.
Over the course of last season, most fans seemed to have had enough of Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller. Several painful losses of last year's horrific season had fans pointing the finger directly at the 25-year-old defenseman. After what happened to players like Jacob Trouba, Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko, no Ranger from the last few years is safe anymore. From what the last few months have shown, it looks like New York has no interest in locking him in long term, making him their biggest trade chip going into July 1st. With no interest in locking him in long term, what exactly is to be done? Can Drury gather a first-rounder for Miller, or is he really just not worth it? If things go correctly, a potential first or third-round pick may be possible for next year's deep draft, but it all depends on how interested each team will be. Another case may be, if Miller does not end up leaving after all, what’s the benefit of waiting until the trade deadline?
Possibilities around signing Miller to a bridge contract could be an alternate solution. Perhaps a one-year extension, giving them another season to either lock him up or find a possible trade solution and go from there. Giving Miller another year to turn things around, especially under their new head coach, Mike Sullivan, may not be as bad as fans think. Things go wrong, Miller can’t turn things around next season, then the trade deadline may be the key; he’d be one of the largest targets. Though a possible solution, it is still more likely Miller will be dealt with any minute now as the free agents are starting to hit. Draft weekend is now ending, free agents have hit the eyes of all NHL teams, let's see what becomes of K’Andre Miller as free agents continue to drop like flies.
