Rangers Re-Sign K'Andre Miller
The blueliner is back in the fold on a two-year bridge deal.
The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with defenseman K'Andre Miller on a new contract, per an official team announcment. It is a bridge deal, covering two years at an average annual value of $3.872 million, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
$3.872M AAV for Miller https://t.co/Cp4VviYzbb
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 11, 2023
Miller, a 2018 first-round pick who is still only 23 years old, set career highs last season with nine goals and 34 assists for 43 points. Perhaps more impressive was that he was able to post those numbers with limited power-play time; only three of his points came with the man-advantage.
Like many of his teammates, Miller had, at best, an uneven performance against the New Jersey Devils in the club's first-round playoff loss. Still, his combination of size, reach, skating ability, and burgeoning offensive skill make him one of the Blueshirts' most intriguing players moving forward. He's already a mainstay on their blue line, and figures to see an increased role in the near future.
While it would have been nice for the Rangers to secure a young, promising player like Miller with a longer-term contract, the bridge deal allows the organization more salary cap maneuverability in the short term. That fits with the Rangers' needs, as the short term features a tight cap squeeze before the cap ceiling presumably increases more meaningfully in 2024 and beyond – and by which point the team might have an easier time moving on from players with closer-to-expiring contracts and relaxed no-movement clauses.
Per CapFriendly, the Rangers have about $2.3 million of cap space remaining, with Alexis Lafrenière the last player needing a contract to fill out the NHL roster. However, that number assumes a roster of 22 players before Lafrenière. Assuming they roll with seven defensemen instead of eight for a final roster of 22 players, they should have closer to $3 million in cap space. That number should be a little more than enough to get Lafrenière back in the fold on a bridge deal like Miller's.
At the end of the day, for a player who provides as much value as Miller does for the Rangers, a cap hit of $3.872 million is quite a bargain. That number should jump up significantly when Miller is due for a new contract in two years. Hopefully by that point the Rangers will have more space to make it work.