It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours. We’re almost to the month of April, but we still have plenty of rumours to discuss. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are nearly upon us. However, there is always talk about what general managers will do in the coming off-season. Some clubs need to make some changes after falling short of expectations. One of these teams that has disappointed is the New York Rangers. This edition of NHL rumours deals with some changes that could made to the defence.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
New York Rangers Look to Make Defensive Changes This Off-Season
Rumour: Vincent Mercogliano of USA Today and LoHud.com discussed the possible future of defenceman K’Andre Miller with the club. Miller is a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Analysis: The 25-year-old blueliner has been inconsistent at times during the season. However, he’s seemingly steadied himself after a shaky end to the 2024 calendar year. Miller has played better since the calendar flipped to 2025 and has formed a solid partnership with Will Borgen.
We’ve seen Miller play well at times in his career, but the Rangers defensive group and him have also taken some lumps this campaign. New York was supposed to be among the contenders in the Eastern Conference. However, the Blueshirts are fighting just to make the post-season.
Some of that has fallen on the woes of the defence. The additions of Borgen and Carson Soucy have helped, but work still needs to be done. Rangers General Manager Chris Drury has some choices to make about Miller and trying to find a new defensive partner for Adam Fox.
What It Means
Miller is currently making $3.872 million in the final year of his deal. He’ll likely get a decent raise, but there are other players that will likely need deals. Will Cuylle, Adam Edstrom and other RFAs are in need of contracts this coming off-season. Drury will have to be smart about how he distributes the money around. Trying to fit Miller’s cap hit could be difficult, but it can be done if both sides work with each other.
If talks stall, Drury could possibly trade Miller’s RFA rights to another team before the July 1. However, it seems that Miller and Borgen could be a solid second pairing for New York.
Drury’s next mission to fix the blueline group is getting Fox a new running buddy. The Rangers dealt former defensive partner Ryan Lindgren to the Colorado Avalanche prior to the trade deadline. Finding someone to help Fox will be critical if the Rangers want to get back into the mix next season.
However, Drury may be limited on what can spend in the off-season. The massive extensions for Igor Shesterkin and Alexis Lafreniere are set to kick in to go along with signing some of their young RFAs. Names like Vladislav Gavrikov and Ivan Provorov could be on the radar since Jakob Chychrun was re-signed by the Washington Capitals. The Rangers have work do and finding out what next to do with Miller is a critical step.
Main photo by: Danny Wild-Imagn Images
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