Rookie defenseman K'Andre Miller playing his way into Rangers' lineup
K'Andre Miller at Rangers training camp on July 14, 2020. Credit: NY Rangers/Nick Homler
The Rangers took Friday off after their Thursday night scrimmage, which was meant to simulate an actual preseason game. Four days into training camp, the exercise was a long way from a preseason game, but under the circumstances, with only a 10-day training camp and no real preseason games before the Jan. 14 season opener against the Islanders, it was the best they could do.
The White team beat the Blue team, 6-1, and that was wonderful news for the White team, which got four of its goals from the first line (with Brett Howden subbing in for the still unavailable Mika Zibanejad). It was a really bad look, though, for the guys on the Blue team, which featured the new top defense pair of Jacob Trouba and Tony DeAngelo.
"I thought White did a really good job staying on top of them. I thought the White "D," as a corps, were very good,’’ coach David Quinn said. "Obviously, a lot of Blue guys had off nights. You don’t lose a game 6-1 and have a bunch of guys on your roster have a good night.’’
What seemed to make Quinn the happiest in the scrimmage was what he saw from rookie defenseman K’Andre Miller, who partnered with Brendan Smith on the White team’s second pair. When Quinn was asked if anyone had jumped out at him in the scrimmage, he mentioned forward Pavel Buchnevich, who scored on a penalty shot and also had an assist, and Miller, who he said was "really good.’’
Quinn was asked if Miller — who was chosen in the first round of the 2018 draft and will turn 21 on Jan. 21 — is playing his way into the lineup.
"Yes, he is,’’ he said. "He just moves so well and takes up so much space. He’s got such a long reach; he closes on people quickly.’’
It would be a huge jump for Miller to go from training camp scrimmage standout to the Rangers’ top defense pair on opening night. But if he could make that jump, it sure would solve a lot of problems for Quinn.
Miller, a Minnesota product who played two seasons at the University of Wisconsin, is a lefthanded shot and is more naturally suited to the left side than the righthanded-shooting DeAngelo, who had to switch from the right side to the left in order to play with Trouba.
If Quinn can trust the 6-5, 210-pound Miller enough to partner him with the 6-3, 209-pound Trouba, they certainly could match up physically against the league’s top lines.
DeAngelo, a 5-11, 180-pound offensive-minded player, might be best served by dropping down in the lineup and returning to his natural right side. A partnership with a more defensive-minded player such as Smith or maybe Jack Johnson or Island Park native Anthony Bitetto also might free up DeAngelo to do what he does best, which is rush the puck up ice and create offense.
Quinn couldn’t help raving about Miller’s decision-making on the ice and how well he has adapted to the speed and intensity of the professional game.
The coach did try to dial it back a little, but he couldn’t help himself.
"It’s training camp,’’ he said. "But he’s certainly showing a lot of things you look for in a defenseman.’’
Notes & quotes: Chris Kreider had two goals and Buchnevich and Howden each had a goal and an assist for the White team. Phillip DiGiuseppe and Filip Chytil had the other White team goals . . . Ryan Strome, from Artemi Panarin, had the only goal for the Blue team . . . Alexandar Georgiev gave up all six goals but did stop two penalty shots.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
