The New York Rangers are an organization used to seeing its former players succeed with other teams, illustrating a significant issue with the Rangers defense development and identifying quality defensemen in the new NHL.. Whether it’s someone like Niko Mikkola on the Florida Panthers, Ryan McDonagh on the Tampa Bay Lightning, or now K’Andre Miller on the Carolina Hurricanes, it’s never surprising to see players perform better elsewhere. These issues seem to be hyper focused on defensemen, which shouldn’t be a surprise to any Rangers fan.
There’s a lot of possibilities for the Rangers defense development again coming into focus. One, the Rangers have not been able to get over the hump, while other teams have. Two, the Rangers have horrendous player development, while other teams know how to properly develop their young talent. These topics have been discussed too many times, but there’s another issue that impacts the Rangers defense development problems that isn’t being talked about.
The primary reason the Rangers have to keep watching their players succeed elsewhere is because they keep creating problems where problems do not need to be.
K’Andre Miller is a microcosm of a Rangers defense development issue
At the time, I liked the Miller trade, only because I was resigned to the fact that the Rangers couldn’t and wouldn’t find a way to afford him long term. The unfortunate reality is that the Rangers couldn’t and wouldn’t find a way to afford him long term because they acquired various subpar players to contracts typically given to better players.
For example, if the Rangers didn’t take on JT Miller’s $8 million contract, K’Andre Miller could still be a Ranger. Heck, if the Rangers weren’t paying Will Borgen $4.1 million a year, they might have found a way to fit in Miller. If they didn’t keep Carson Soucy and his $3 million, they could have kept Miller. Alas, the Rangers paid the wrong players the wrong amounts of money, and here we are. Miller has found his game in Carolina, reaching the potential some knew he had during his time in New York.
It’s bittersweet to see Miller succeed to the extent he has. The Rangers have desperately been in need of a puck moving defenseman who can exit his own zone with ease. That’s the exact type of player Miller is. When it came time for Miller to earn an extension, his up and down play and lack of aggression made it easy for GM Chris Drury to justify to himself that Miller wouldn’t be worth his contract.
When the Carolina Hurricanes extended Miller for eight years, it was easy for Rangers fans to convince themselves Miller wouldn’t live up to the contract, too.
Still, we live in a world where other teams know how to properly develop and use their players, while the Rangers defense development remains an issue. Predictably, Miller has fit in perfectly in Carolina, while the Rangers are essentially looking for the next Miller.
When the next Miller comes along, I’m sure he will give the Rangers a few good years, then get traded because the Rangers defense development led to prioritizing the wrong players. Rangers defense development is an all too familiar cycle with no end in sight. The Rangers need to change how they evaluate defensemen, how long of a leash they give their young defensemen, and learn to identify players that fit a long term need. Until then, this cycle won’t end.
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