Grading the Rangers’ Trade of K’Andre Miller to the Hurricanes

Rangers Part with Miller After Signing Gavrikov

Rangers Grade: A-

As mentioned above, the Rangers landed the biggest defenseman on the open market in Gavrikov, which opened up the door to trade inquiries about Miller. In terms of the trade with the Hurricanes, they were able to get back a 22-year-old defenseman in Morrow, who could be a member of their blue line for years to come. They also landed two draft picks that can help them bring in additional prospects who could be a big part of their future. Ideally for the Rangers, they should look at flipping the assets they recouped for Miller in later deals to continue improving the roster.

General manager Chris Drury has worked hard to change how this team looks over the last 18 months. With more changes likely coming, he needs to keep finding deals like this to truly improve the organization. Drury has been under a ton of scrutiny for months, but if he can use this trade as a template for future deals, while also being able to land the right players in free agency, it could not only save his job but also help turn the team around. The NHL needs the Rangers to be good, because the NHL is just better when the Rangers are good.

Hurricanes Land Miller with Massive Extension

Hurricanes Grade: B+

From the Hurricanes‘ perspective, they got a very good player in Miller, who is only 25 years old, but what hurts them in this trade is the extension that was signed. An 8-year, $60 million deal carries an average annual value of $7.5 million, which could be considered an overpay for him at this point in his career. The Hurricanes have Jaccob Slavin, who is arguably the best defensive defenseman in the NHL and the best defenseman on Carolina, and he’s only making $6.3 million. General manager Eric Tulsky brought in a new defenseman who played second-pairing minutes on the Rangers and is now being paid as the top blue liner on the team.

If the Hurricanes had traded for Miller and signed him to an extension with an AAV of $6.3 million or under, the grade for them would be higher than a B+. Unfortunately, the extension could age badly for them. That is not to say Miller is a bad player, because he’s not. He’s a very skilled defenseman and has shown that throughout his five-year career. However, this contract could end up being one that is highly criticized over the full eight years.

For the Rangers, they’ll continue their on-the-fly retool to change the core of their team. Drury will need to do that via trade because they only have $1.5 million in available cap space. As for the Hurricanes, they landed Miller, and while the extension may be one that raises some eyebrows, they still got a 25-year-old defenseman who could end up being the face of their blue line for the next eight years