K'Andre Miller's star power, GMs to watch, and 5 more NHL items
K'Andre Miller spent his junior and college hockey years studying clips of NHL defensemen like Seth Jones and Roman Josi while trying to emulate aspects of their playing styles.
Now 23 years old and established, Miller doesn't view himself as Jones 2.0 or Josi 2.0.
"I'm my own player," Miller, the third-year New York Rangers blue-liner, told theScore last month. "I don't really believe anybody has the type of skill set that I do. I feel like I can bring a little bit of anything that you need to a team."
Michael Chisholm / Getty ImagesWhile it may be a slight exaggeration for Miller to suggest he's wholly unique, he does have a wide skill set to offer. His combination of skating, shooting, playmaking, strength, length, athleticism, and smarts is undoubtedly in short supply across the NHL. He's the full package for a modern defenseman.
Miller has tallied six goals and 24 assists in 54 games this season. He skates for 22 minutes a night while lining up alongside Jacob Trouba on the Rangers' second pair and top penalty-killing unit. The scary part is that Miller's still relatively raw, having switched from forward to defense in 2016.
"There's still a lot more we're going to see as far as his development goes because of the path he's taken," said Tony Granato, Miller's coach at the University of Wisconsin. "He's done it the right way, so he's got the base of being a guy who's reliable defensively and can get the puck to the forwards simply. Recently, he's added so many different aspects of the offensive part (of being a top-four defenseman) to that base and taken off."
Ben Jackson / Getty Images"What's amazing to me," Granato added, "is the recoverability. If he finishes a check, or he's caught on the outside, he can get back in quickly because he's so athletic, such a strong skater, and he has great range with that wingspan."
Miller, who also caught the attention of Division I programs for his football-playing abilities, consistently wields his 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame to eliminate the other team's offensive momentum both in-zone and off the rush. He's physical and also excels at subtler stick-on-puck methods.
On a per-game basis, Miller ranks first among Rangers defensemen in stick checks, second in blocked passes, puck-battle wins, and defensive-zone loose-puck recoveries, and third in zone-entry denials, according to Sportlogiq. He's eighth among all NHL D-men in takeaways per 60 minutes.
"That was one part of my game that I tried to master before getting here," said Miller, who spent two years each at the US National Team Development Program and Wisconsin before turning pro in 2020. "I did a lot of stick-checking drills and angling drills and learned how to use my feet to defend. I essentially learned how to use my stick as a weapon, learned how to catch people off guard, and to just be that annoying defenseman to play against."
Miller is a little overlooked on New York's back end. Adam Fox is a full-fledged superstar, and Trouba is a hit-machine captain. But whether it's the pending restricted free agent's next contract or his play down the stretch and into the playoffs, it's a safe bet Miller will soon fully emerge from the shadows.
His skill set is too tantalizing and his impact on the game is too large to ignore.
5 GMs who'll shape trade market
Bruce Bennett / Getty ImagesSure, Bo Horvat and Vladimir Tarasenko have already changed addresses. But there's still plenty of business to get done before the March 3 trade deadline.
Here are five general managers who ought to be key buyers or sellers:
Bill Armstrong - The Arizona Coyotes executive is reportedly asking for two first-round picks and a prospect for Jakob Chychrun, the top defenseman in the rumor mill. Pending unrestricted free-agent forward Nick Bjugstad can fetch a mid-round pick, and goalie Karel Vejmelka could be in play as well. Arizona can also act as a third-party trade broker by taking on salary.
Don Waddell - The Carolina Hurricanes are highly motivated to wheel and deal - they are firmly in win-now mode, have holes to fill and assets to trade, and recently watched division rivals stock up. Waddell is tasked with deepening the blue line and finding a top-six forward to replace the injured Max Pacioretty. Unlike some contenders, Carolina is open to trading its 2023 first-round selection.
Andy Marlin / Getty ImagesTom Fitzgerald - The 35-14-5 New Jersey Devils are primed to make a big splash. Fitzgerald is reportedly hot after San Jose's Timo Meier, the top forward available. If Fitzgerald strikes out there, he'll likely be aggressive in executing Plan B, whatever that may be. He quickly pivoted to Ondrej Palat this past offseason after losing the Johnny Gaudreau sweepstakes.
Kyle Davidson - The Blackhawks executive is currently in seller's limbo as he waits for Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews to decide whether to waive their no-trade clauses. If those Chicago legends end up on the market, and buying teams deem them healthy enough to acquire, Davidson's phone will be buzzing. Even if they don't, Max Domi, Andreas Athanasiou, Sam Lafferty, Jake McCabe, Connor Murphy, and Jarred Tinordi count as other trade chips.
Rob Blake - The 30-18-7 Kings have stockpiled a ton of picks and prospects in recent years. Offseason acquisition Kevin Fiala has been a tremendous fit. Veterans Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar are still contributing. The Western Conference is wide-open. The time is now for Blake to make another trajectory-altering trade, whether it's acquiring Chychrun, an established goalie, or both. No team is better equipped to pull off a true blockbuster.
Bruins' doubly special tandem
Boston Globe / Getty ImagesThe relationship between an NHL team's goalies can go one of three ways.
It can be rooted in brotherly support and healthy competition. It can be less amicable, with resentment and pettiness infiltrating the dressing room. And it can be pleasant, where the partners are on good terms but not best buddies.
Former Dallas Stars netminder Marty Turco once said he and the eclectic Ed Belfour were "partners only pretty much by title." Ouch. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, meanwhile, are at the other end of the spectrum. The Boston Bruins goalies seemingly can't get enough of each other.
"When I met him," Ullmark said in an interview, "it was just hand in a glove."
Ullmark, a 29-year-old from northern Sweden, is in the running for the Vezina Trophy thanks to a .937 save percentage in 34 games. Swayman, a 24-year-old Alaskan, has posted a .918 in 23 games. Outside of stopping pucks, they continue to garner attention for a cute victory-hug ritual that reflects their bromance.
Bruins are 40-8-5. pic.twitter.com/mbJvLem4Ch
- Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) February 15, 2023
"There's no need to be sour with him," Ullmark said of vibing with Swayman. "I'm not the one telling him that I'm starting. I'm not making the decisions. That's someone else's decision, and whenever we hear about the decision, we're all down for whatever it is. If I'm starting or not starting, it doesn't matter. I'm going to do whatever needs to be done to help us win the game."
The duo plays golf together, will occasionally have a fika (the Swedish tradition of socializing over coffee and sweets), and aren't shy to contact each other if something happens away from the rink. For the affable Ullmark, the connection is "always genuine."
"I'm very thankful for how he is and how he embraced me for who I am," Ullmark said. "That made it a lot easier to open up toward him and really show him, OK, this is me and this is what you're going to get."
Contextualizing Huberdeau's year
Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesLet's take a look at the offensive production from three forwards.
Player A - 52 games played, averaging 16:55 a night; 10 goals, 26 assists, 36 points (0.19, 0.50, 0.69 per game).
Player B - 54 games, 17:11; 14 goals, 25 assists, 39 points (0.26, 0.46, 0.72).
Player C - 49 games, 16:58, 15 goals, 19 assists, 34 points (0.31, 0.39, 0.69).
The stat lines almost mirror each other. Player A is Calgary Flames winger Jonathan Huberdeau. Player B is Tampa Bay Lightning winger Alex Killorn. And Player C is Vegas Golden Knights winger Jonathan Marchessault.
To put it bluntly, this is not the kind of company Huberdeau would like to keep, especially with an eight-year, $84-million extension kicking in next season.
Killorn is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, but he's part of Tampa Bay's supporting cast. Marchessault is a perfectly competent NHLer - a top-six guy all 32 teams would love to employ - yet he's no star or needle-mover.
Gerry Thomas / Getty ImagesHuberdeau was supposed to be a needle-mover in Calgary. He was the main reason why the Flames felt comfortable trading cornerstone winger Matthew Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers this past summer. Points aren't everything for every player, yet they're close to everything with Huberdeau, who'll never be mistaken for Selke Trophy king Patrice Bergeron.
It was unrealistic to expect Huberdeau to repeat last season's 115-point output, which he achieved by setting an NHL record for assists by a left winger. There's an adjustment period with a new team, and his percentages were bound to regress. But this level of production - the equivalent of 57 points over 82 games - falls woefully short of expectations.
The good news is that Huberdeau's contract offers ample time for redemption. The bad news is that Calgary needs him to produce ASAP (and for goalie Jacob Markstrom to make more saves) to secure a playoff spot.
Parting shotsZach Hyman: Michael Bunting's been praised in Toronto for being a cheap and effective replacement for Hyman, who left the Maple Leafs for the Edmonton Oilers in July 2021. But let's appreciate for a moment what Hyman has accomplished in Edmonton on a $5.5-million annual cap hit. A model of consistency as a smart, responsible, puck-retrieving winger, Hyman has recorded 27 goals and 37 assists for 64 points in 54 games this season. He paces all NHLers with 31.87 expected goals, according to Sportlogiq's Feb. 16 leaderboard. Rounding out the top five: David Pastrnak (31.30), linemate Connor McDavid (29.45), Meier (27.15), and Matthew Tkachuk (26.75).
Conner and Leon affect aside....how good is Hyman. He's just a player that's complete.
- Bobby Ryan (@Bobbyry5409) February 11, 2023
Henry Thrun: The OC Register reported Wednesday that the Harvard University captain and two-way defenseman has opted not to sign with the Anaheim Ducks and will become an unrestricted free agent Aug. 15. (NHL teams lose contractual rights to college draftees after four years.) The Ducks drafted Thrun, who's averaging a point per game this season, in the fourth round of the 2019 draft. This is obviously a bummer to Ducks GM Pat Verbeek - though, as per usual, the organization is flush with blue-line prospects, led by Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov, who both shoot left like Thrun. Trading the 21-year-old's rights sooner than later would soften the blow a bit.
Notable Harvard alumni who either tested free agency or forced their rights to be traded under the threat of it:
- /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) February 15, 2023
Jimmy Vesey
Adam Fox
John Marino
Alex Kerfoot
And now Henry Thrun.
Love a smart player, but the fear of drafting kids committed to Harvard is real.
Saddest teams: The advanced stats website HockeyViz keeps a "sadness" ranking. Teams with a high percentage of "sadness" are most likely to both miss the playoffs and not pick in the top five in the upcoming draft. Failing to make the postseason without fully tanking for Connor Bedard? Suboptimal! The Philadelphia Flyers (86%), Ottawa Senators (85%), St. Louis Blues (84%), Detroit Red Wings (84%), Buffalo Sabres (82%), and Panthers (79%) were the clubhouse leaders in sadness heading into Thursday's slate of games.
The Blues worked hard tonight. We might be on Bedard watch, but those players want to win. Good for them.
- Blues Views (@STLBluesViews) February 15, 2023
Binner had a great game. Schenn with 2 goals. Kyrou & Thomas with 2 points. Barbashev with 1G, 2A, O'Reilly with a goal. Valuetown rejoices. #STLBlues
Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).
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