The New York Rangers announced the signing of defender Andre Miller Two-year deal With an average annual value (AAV) of $3.872 million. The towering 6-foot-5, 23, scored 43 points in 79 games with the Rangers this past season, and on top of his solid offensive performance, he’s been a consistent defender off the puck.
The Rangers entered the season with their own problems. After making a lot of low-cost acquisitions, they left room to sign Miller and had approximately $2.3 million left to sign Alexis Lafreniere.
Miller was selected in the 2018 draft, and has since established himself as a top-four defenseman any team would want. His gigantic frame complements his powerful skate well, and he has excellent vision to pair with. He makes great penetrating passes, can pass or skate in transition, and despite playing behind superstar Adam Fox, is still capable of scoring big.
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Even though he only fielded one assist in the playoffs, the Rangers know he’s worth far more than that and his play in those seven games is no indication of what they’re paying for. Looking back at the previous year, he scored seven points in 20 games, earning him the Mulligan Award this year. Especially for a 23-year-old who has already developed the way he has, he could end up a deal-breaker with Rangers.
Miller is a master piece of New York’s top four
The Rangers have some big names on defense, including Fox and Jacob Trueba. Miller is establishing himself as one of those big names, and though some could argue he’s worth more than what the contract pays, he’s setting himself up for a big payday that comes at the end of this deal. It also gives Rangers some flexibility in signing Lafreniere.
Miller and Trueba make one of the biggest pairings in the National Hockey League, and teams hate playing against them chemistry developed. While Miller isn’t quite as physically strong as Trouba, he does bring much needed balance to the pair. His counter-attack balances all the big hits and choppy play from his partner, but he’s also quite reliable.
It’s easy to look at Miller’s stats and draw that he’s a mediocre defensive tackle but that’s not the case at all. It’s hard to go by when a player is such a great defender when he produces as much as he does, but he really is a perfect example of a two-way defensive player. Miller finished the year 12th among all defensemen, with 5 points-for-5. He is truly one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL.