Based on what the NHL rumor mill has had to say this offseason, K'Andre Miller wearing another jersey beginning in the 2025-26 season felt like a certainty. A sign-and-trade sending Miller from the New York Rangers to the Carolina Hurricanes, though, wasn't on many people's radars.
Rangers are getting conditional first and second plus right defenseman Scott Morrow from Canes in exchange for K'Andre Miller, Post has been told.
— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) July 1, 2025
The terms of the deal are pretty substantial. Not only is Miller signing an eight-year deal worth $60 million with Carolina, but the Rangers will receive a pair of draft picks and defenseman Scott Morrow from the Hurricanes.
Miller leaving the Rangers and joining a bitter rival is bound to shake things up in the Metropolitan Division, and will alter how both team's defensive pairings will look when the regular season begins.
Projected Rangers defensive pairings after replacing K'Andre Miller with Vladislav Gavrikov
Losing Miller hurts, but the Rangers replaced him with arguably a better defenseman right now in Vladislav Gavrikov, and did so on cheaper financial terms. Here's a look at how their defensive pairs will look with Gavrikov in the mix.
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Vladislav Gavrikov | Adam Fox |
Carson Soucy | Will Borgen |
Scott Morrow | Braden Schneider |
Replacing Miller with Gavrikov alongside Adam Fox gives the Rangers more of a sure-handed defensive option. Gavrikov doesn't have Miller's offensive upside, but he's far more trustworthy on the back-end.
While the top pair is a good one, the rest of this defensive corps leaves a lot to be desired. The Rangers acquired both Carson Soucy and Will Borgen last season, and while both are probably fine third-pair options, neither should be thrust into a second-pair kind of role. The bottom pair of Scott Morrow and Braden Schneider, although they're both right-handed, is fine for their limited roles.
Speaking of Morrow, it'll be interesting how he's used. He's just 22 years old and is a very exciting young player, but he only has 16 games of NHL experience. It'd make sense for the Rangers to play him regularly to see what they have, but it wouldn't be shocking to see Mike Sullivan lean on a veteran like Urho Vaakanainen, at least to start the year.
Overall, the Rangers have a really strong top pair, and Morrow can easily be a top-four option at some point, but the rest of their defensive corps is lacking.
Projected Hurricanes defensive pairings after adding K'Andre Miller
The Hurricanes landed the best player involved in this sign-and-trade, obviously, but how Rod Brind'Amour chooses to deploy him should be interesting.
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Jaccob Slavin | Sean Walker |
K'Andre Miller | Jalen Chatfield |
Alexander Nikishin | Shayne Gostisbehere |
It was a mystery as to how the Hurricanes would address their defensive corps with both Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov hitting free agency, but Miller is a good get for Carolina. Miller has played a huge role for the Rangers throughout his five-year career, has tallied as many as 43 points in a single season and is still just 25 years old. He can have his share of defensive lapses on occasion, but the talent is very real.
While Miller is getting paid a hefty amount, the Hurricanes already have one of the best left-handed defensemen in the NHL, Jaccob Slavin, on their roster. Miller can play alongside him, but the Hurricanes might also opt to keep him on his strong side.
While Miller figures to be a better fit on Carolina's second pair, the loss of Morrow makes it so that they now have four left-handed defensemen. For now, I have rookie Alexander Nikishin playing alongside Shayne Gostisbehre on Carolina's bottom pair, despite both of them being left-handed. Nikishin is a very exciting prospect, and Gostisbehere remains elite offensively for a defenseman (albeit with very real defensive concerns).
Overall, this sign-and-trade benefits both sides pretty greatly. Miller is a strong get, and a needed one given Carolina's defensive departures. The Rangers replaced Miller with a better fit right now, and got a haul in exchange.