K'Andre Miller is set to enter his fourth NHL season. He has continued to improve both offensively and defensively early on in his career, but his offensive abilities have been limited by the lack of ice time on the man advantage.
There is no denying the fact that K'Andre Miller has become a fan favorite in the city of New York. What separates the 6'5, 23-year-old defenseman is his skating ability, offensive instincts, and his reach. Miller has nearly doubled his point totals from year to year throughout his first three seasons in the National Hockey League.
In his rookie campaign, he tallied five goals with seven assists for a total of 12 points in just 53 games played due to a shortened Covid-19 season. He made a very big jump in his sophomore season, playing in all 82 games and scoring seven goals with 13 helpers for a combined 20 points.
This past year, the 2022-23 season, Miller made what could have been his largest leap, staying healthy yet again, although he did miss some games due to a suspension. The Rangers' second-pair defenseman more than doubled his scoring total from his sophomore season. He scored nine goals along with adding 34 assists for 43 points in 79 games. Three out of his 43 points came on the power play.
To put things in perspective, Miller finished with the 26th most points amongst defensemen and he rarely saw any time on the man-advantage. The Rangers captain, Jacob Trouba, has been the go-to quarterback for the team's second power-play unit over the past few seasons, but his offensive output is a much lower ceiling than that of Miller.
The Rangers power play finished seventh in the regular season, converting at 24.1%. The previous season they were fourth, at 25.1%, so there haven't been a ton of issues, but there is always room for improvement.
There is certainly an argument to be made for the Rangers' newly acquired defenseman, Erik Gustafsson, to take the reigns of the second unit, but in my opinion, the best move for the organization going forward is to give more responsibility to Miller.
Miller recently signed his two-year contract that has a $3.872 million average annual value, but once these two years are up, he should most likely be deserving of a long-term deal. It's hard to find a defenseman that has his build along with his ability to play the game. Miller is a player that the Rangers should try to prioritize and hang onto for the long haul, so allowing him to take this next leap in running the power play could be a key component in furthering his development.
Miller finished seventh on the team in scoring this past season and only recorded three points on the power play. Imagine where he'd be if he was given consistent time on the man-advantage.
He continues to advance his game each season and I am excited to see the new heights that he may find in the 2023-24 campaign.
These are the power play units I would go with come opening night:
PP1: Kreider, Kakko, Panarin, Zibanejad, and Fox.
PP2: Wheeler, Trocheck, Lafrenierere, Chytil, and Miller.
I'm not quite sure how the new staff is going to want to set up the units, but as far as personnel goes, in my opinion, this is what I think it should look like. Laviolette tends to run the umbrella, but I wouldn't be surprised if they leaned toward the 1-3-1 look.
With all that being said, Miller has earned his opportunity.