NHL
By Shayna Goldman, James Mirtle and Corey Pronman
Carolina Hurricanes get: K’Andre Miller (who agreed to an eight-year, $60 million sign-and-trade)
New York Rangers get: Conditional 2026 first-round pick (top-10 protected), 2026 second-round pick, D Scott Morrow
James Mirtle: This is going to be a fascinating deal to watch over the next few years.
Miller, 25, is the best asset in the deal, but he had fallen out of favor in New York, partially due to how heavy of a load he was tasked with, including difficult assignments and playing 22 minutes per game on an overmatched roster. The Hurricanes are making a huge investment in him, too, as at $7.5 million a season for another eight years, he’ll need to be at least a No. 2 or very high-end No. 3 defender.
Advertisement
Morrow, meanwhile, is three years younger and even more raw, with his defensive flaws likely not being a great fit for Rod Brind’Amour’s buttoned-up defensive system. He has terrific offensive gifts, however, and piled up points in his first pro season in the AHL. If he blossoms into a top puck-moving defender, then New York could win this deal.
But a lot of the value proposition here hinges on which young defenseman can reach their full potential in the next few years. Miller’s ceiling is clearly higher, because with his physical gifts and athleticism, he can establish himself as a top-pair defenseman for the life of his contract if he can continue to refine his decision-making and defensive play. Maybe he picks that up in Carolina, learning from someone such as Jaccob Slavin, and in a less onerous role than he had to shoulder with the Rangers?
For New York, the bet is less that Morrow is greater than Miller than the idea it can better replace Miller’s minutes with UFA signing Vladislav Gavrikov, get better defensively in those hard minutes, and still cash in with three futures assets for a player it really didn’t want to pay.
In that light, the trade makes sense for both teams. But the Hurricanes get bonus points for betting on upside here.
Hurricanes grade (including trade and contract): B
Rangers grade: B-
Shayna Goldman: Miller has the skills to be a top-four defenseman, but he didn’t have enough consistency in New York. There have been glimpses of that potential on both ends of the ice. Defensively, his skating speed and stride help him catch up to opponents to break up plays, and his long reach can be disruptive. He can make the first pass out of his own zone to help activate offensively, too. But in between all of that can be glaring defensive errors and poor decision-making.
Advertisement
So it makes sense why the Rangers, a team that seriously disappointed this season, would want to shake up their roster. Miller added to the chaos on the back end, even after the Jacob Trouba trade. It doesn’t fall solely on his shoulders, though, because the coaches didn’t do enough to maximize his strengths (and limit his weaknesses) to reach that next level, either.
The Rangers deserve some blame here for giving up on a 25-year-old who has the tools to be special. The team doesn’t do enough to develop its young guns into difference-makers. But signing him to a long-term extension wasn’t necessarily the answer, either. It makes sense why New York instead signed Gavrikov to take over those matchup minutes — a player who has proven to be a top-four shutdown defenseman — and instead take the trade route with Miller.
The Rangers actually cooked here, with a first-rounder, second-rounder and Scott Morrow in return. The key is that the team has to work with Morrow to help him become the best version of himself. For a cap-strapped team such as the Rangers, there’s a difference between investing in a 22-year-old in the last year of their entry-level contract and a defenseman looking for a raise from his $3.9 million cap hit.
If any team can help Miller play to his potential, it’s the Hurricanes, considering how well this team has maximized defensemen within its system over the years. While he will be expected to play a similar role, on the left side of the second pair, a big difference is that he will have Slavin ahead of him on the depth chart for support instead of being surrounded by replacement-level defensemen. That takes some pressure off Miller, but then there are the expectations that come with signing an eight-year deal with an AAV of $7.5 million.
If the Canes can harness all of the tools Miller brings to a lineup, he can be worth that new contract. Some of his comps show that potential path, such as Esa Lindell. But it’s going to take some work to get to that point, because as it stands, his market value only projects to be $5.7 million over the next eight years. And other comps, such as Rasmus Ristolainen and Zach Bogosian, show a much bleaker path.
Advertisement
The Hurricanes are a rare contending team with cap space and trade assets at their disposal, so they can afford to take a swing like this, especially with their track record of elevating players within the system. The contract term and cost are just what makes this more of a gamble.
Hurricanes grade: B+
Rangers grade: B
Corey Pronman: Miller is a huge defenseman who is quite mobile for his size. He is physical enough and uses his big body. His pure skill doesn’t rise to the same level of his great athleticism. He can make a pass and has some creativity with the puck, but he’s not the most instinctive player. His game can be a bit wild but overall he’s an effective two-way player and a quality top-four defenseman. I don’t truly understand why he fell out of favor in New York. He’s not a legit power-play type (and not the 43-point guy he was two years ago), but he’s a very good player who can be a playoff style of defenseman. His new contract is reasonable for his age and skill set. Carolina’s blue line, with Miller and Alexander Nikishin, now has two young pillars to build around for a while.
Morrow was impressive as a rookie pro, making an impact with Chicago and being one of the top rookie defensemen in the AHL. He’s a strong-skating, highly skilled defender who likes to attack with his skill, creativity and shot. There is no doubt that Morrow has the talent to score as a pro and the offensive touch and hockey sense to run a pro power play. Whether Morrow sticks in the NHL or not will come down to his defending. His compete level has historically been an issue, and coaches over the years have not shown much trust in him. It’s possible that his freewheeling style could work if his offense is incredible, though, and he showed flashes of that this season. He has NHL potential but he’s not a sure thing to be a top-four type.
The Rangers obviously preferred to give this money to Gavrikov instead of Miller, so they turned Miller into Morrow and some reasonable draft picks. Gavrikov is a good player — he’s older — but if the Rangers decided they wanted to turn away from Miller, they made the best of the situation, even though I think Miller is the best overall asset among the players in this deal.
Hurricanes grade: B+
Rangers grade: B-
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
Hockey News