K'andre Miller

The New York Rangers made a run to the Eastern Conference Final this postseason, and though they fell short of their ultimate goal, there are many positives to take away from the season. A lot of players stepped up, including 22-year-old defenseman K’Andre Miller, who improved throughout the season and became a force on defense.

One might wonder whether K’Andre Miller sometimes shakes his head and laughs a little bit at the attention the Rangers’ Kid Line has gotten throughout the postseason. Not that it isn’t well deserved. But Miller, 22 and proving every bit as much as Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko, should be in that conversation, too.  If he wasn’t before, he is after Friday night.  Miller had scored just once this postseason prior to the Rangers’ 3-2 victory over the Lightning in Game 2 of the conference finals, all the way back in the second period of Game 7 in the opening...

Miller scored a goal on his lone shot in Friday's 3-2 win over the Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Miller threw a wrist shot through traffic that found its way past Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie the game 1-1 in the first period. The 22-year-old defenseman now has two goals and five assists in the postseason while averaging 25:19 of ice time alongside Jacob Trouba on the team's second pairing.

Miller logged an assist in Monday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 7. Miller helped out on Ryan Strome's second-period tally, which ended up as the game-winner. The assist was Miller's first point in the seven-game second-round series. The 22-year-old defenseman has five points, 28 hits, 16 blocked shots, 16 shots on net and a minus-2 rating in 14 playoff outings as part of the Rangers' top four on defense.

Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller isn’t worried about the Hurricanes putting geographic restrictions on playoff ticket sales: “There’s gonna be Rangers fans everywhere.”

Miller scored a goal and added two hits in Sunday's 4-3 overtime win over the Penguins in Game 7. Miller's shot looked destined to go wide, but it hit a Penguins skate and deflected into the net. The goal was the defenseman's first in the postseason to go with three assists in seven games. He's solidified his place as a mainly defensive presence in the Rangers' top four, though there's a bit of underrated offense in his game. Miller added 14 hits, eight blocked shots and a plus-2 rating during the first round.

PITTSBURGH — K’Andre Miller was 5 years old when Sidney Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins in 2005.  There is a 973-game disparity between the Rangers defenseman and the Pittsburgh star center. And Crosby had 177 playoff games compared to Miller’s three heading into Game 4 of the Rangers-Penguins first-round Stanley Cup playoff series Monday night at PPG Paints Arena.  Still, Miller and his defensive partner Jacob Trouba have drawn a bulk of the matchups against Crosby and the rest of the Penguins’ top line, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust.  When asked what it’s been like defending a player he’s presumably...

Miller picked up two assists in Thursday's 5-2 win over Pittsburgh. Miller assisted on goals from Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin while playing 22:48 minutes in Game 2. The 22-year-old defenseman had seven goals and 13 assists while playing in all 82 games for the Rangers, adding 151 hits and 95 blocked shots in a top-four role.

Miller led the Rangers with 22:51 of ice time in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Islanders. He had one shot, two blocked shots, one hit and a plus-2 rating. New York's top four of Miller, Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren each saw more than 20 minutes of ice time in the comfortable win, but Miller got more usage than anyone. The 22-year-old defenseman has added a bit more physicality to his game recently and is also chipping in offensively with three points in his last six games. Miller's development has been an underrated factor in the Rangers' jump from the middle of the pack to the elite echelon this season.

The New York Rangers wanted to follow up a dominant performance against the Penguins with a strong start as they hosted the Sabres. Frankie Vatrano made sure to do his part as the speedy winger came out of the gate flying. Despite his two quick goals early in the first period, the relentless Sabres would not go away until the very end.

The New York Rangers blue-line is quickly taking shape into one of the more mobile and formidable defenses in the NHL. Adam Fox in just his second year won the Norris Trophy and his partner, Ryan Lindgren deserves accolades as well. While Fox is able to join the rush to make jaw-dropping offensive plays, he does so with a peace of mind that comes with having a steady stay-at-home partner.

When the New York Rangers selected K’Andre Miller with the 22nd pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, they were aware that they were taking on a raw prospect who was widely viewed as a project. He had only been playing as a defenseman for the two years prior to his draft year, after being converted from forward.

Miller notched two assists, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Stars. Miller helped out on the first and fourth goals of the Rangers' explosive first-period offense. Both of the defenseman's helpers were primary assists. He's picked up three points in his last two contests after an eight-game point drought. Miller has a career-high 14 points, 67 shots on net, 88 hits, 66 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating in 59 outings.

Miller scored a power-play goal on three shots, levied two hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the Blues. Miller tallied in the second period, and that was it for the offense in this contest. The 22-year-old defenseman snapped an eight-game point drought with the goal, which was his first power-play point of the season. He's matched his scoring output of 12 points from last season, though it took him 58 this year compared to 53 in his rookie campaign. The defenseman has added 64 shots on net, 87 hits, 66 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating in 2021-22 while maintaining a top-four role.

K'Andre Miller already has plenty of milestones not even two full seasons into his NHL career, including a historic performance with the Rangers as a rookie. But the 22-year-old defenseman experienced a first Tuesday: competing at Xcel Energy Center against the Wild, the team the Hopkins native cheered for as a kid.