The Carolina Hurricanes made quite the splash at the opening of free agency, landing a top-four blueliner in an unexpected trade.
The team acquired defenseman K'Andre Miller from the New York Rangers — who at the time was a pending RFA — in exchange for Scott Morrow and a pair of picks.
The deal was a sign-and-trade too, that locked Miller in with the Canes for eight years and with a $7.5 million annual cap hit.
So it's clear that the Canes have high hopes for the American blueliner, but where will he slot in this upcoming season?
First Pair
It feels like there's a good chance that we'll see Miller paired alongside Jaccob Slavin on the top pair, at least to start the season.
Miller, 25, was a minute muncher for the Rangers last season, playing nearly 22 minutes a night. And not only that, but Miller also spent more 5v5 minutes against 'Elite' competition than any other Rangers blueliner according to PuckIQ.
In those minutes, he controlled a 47.80 CF% and outscored opponents 17-14.
It's true that Miller struggled with zone entry denials, but he still had very strong isolated defensive impacts on a very weak defending team, especially at the net front, something the Canes have struggled with as of late.
Not too mention the fact that Miller is also a strong transitional player, one who is unafraid to jump up in the rush, and he's also a player who's been extremely efficient with his stick, a big part of how the Hurricanes want their defensemen to play.
Playing Carolina's style is usually not an easy transition for a new blueliner, so giving a player the safety blanket that is Jaccob Slavin could be certainly beneficial too.
Miller would more than likely wind up playing on his offhand, something he hasn't done too often in his NHL career, but it's something he says he'd be comfortable with.
But if the Canes can maximize Miller's strengths, him paired alongside Slavin could be one of the best shutdown pairs in the league.
Second Pair
If the Canes want to keep Miller a little more comfortable as he transitions to a new team in Raleigh, then they'd probably be better off letting him play on his natural handedness. For that, he'd probably have to play second pair minutes paired up alongside Jalen Chatfield.
Chatfield has developed into a very reliable defender for the Hurricanes who can play big minutes against tough matchups.
His strong skating would pair well with Miller and give the Canes a pair of fast, transitional blueliners in the top-four.
The two could also work as a penalty kill duo, as each has had very strong PK numbers throughout their career.
Another potential pairing option could be Sean Walker.
The veteran blueliner took huge steps for Carolina this past postseason and he's another player whose strong skating could pair well with a partner like Miller.
Walker did a good job paired with Shayne Gostisbehere last year and he had strong underlying numbers in terms of both entry denials and transitioning the puck.
If he can maintain the level he was at during the playoffs, he might look really good in a top-four role and Miller may help to bring out more of his offensive toolset.
It's clear that the Hurricanes have a lot of options for how they want to lineup come opening night, but it's a good problem to have a plethora of talented defenders.
I'm sure the Canes will experiment throughout the year until they find the exact combinations they like.
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