The Detroit Red Wings have had a disappointing start to the season and a trade pitch has them acquiring a star defenseman.
The website PuckPedia‘s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Red Wings acquiring K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers.
Red Wings acquire:
Rangers acquire:
- Andrew Copp ($2.8 million retained)
- Erik Gustafsson
- 2025 second-round pick
- 2025 third-round pick (New York’s)
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as Detroit would acquire a star young defenseman for two veteran NHL players and two draft picks.
Miller is in the final year of his two-year $7.74 million deal. The defenseman was selected 22nd overall in the 2018 NHL draft. Miller has struggled to be a top-pair defenseman as the Rangers had hoped. This season, he’s skated in 33 games recording 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points.
In return, the Red Wings would deal Copp back to the Rangers. The veteran forward played for New York for their playoff run in 2022. He would be a middle-six forward for the Rangers. He’s in the third year of a five-year $28.13 million deal.
Gustafsson, meanwhile, would replace Miller on the blue line. The veteran defenseman played for the Rangers last season before signing a two-year $4 million deal with the Red Wings in the offseason.
Analyst Urges Rangers to Trade Miller
Miller hasn’t lived up to expectations, and analyst and former NHL player Sean Avery believes the team needs to move him.
Avery thinks Miller needs to get traded as the Rangers are running out of time to get something back for him.
“As far as K’Andre, you got to move him now,” Avery said on Spittin Chiclets’. “You got to move him now, while he has trade value, it’s not going to work out. He’s not a big market guy. He doesn’t have the demeanor of Ryan McDonagh, Ryan McDonagh when you put him in the war zone, he turns into a real warrior quick. So, if you’re running the team, if you’re managing that org chart, and you’re also trying to stay in it, you move him now.
“You move that early. You have to move early, and Drury did a good job with Kakko getting a third and a sixth. That is a steal for that kid, an absolute steal,” Avery continued.
Miller is playing on the Rangers second pairing with Will Borgen.
Red Wings Turning Season Around
Detroit entered the NHL season with hopes of ending their playoff drought.
However, the Red Wings struggled this season and fired coach Derek Lalonde and replaced him with Todd McLellan. Since McLellan has taken over, Detroit is 3-1 as the Red Wings are playing much better hockey.
“When the spirit is high, you have an opportunity to advance as a team,” McLellan said. “You can give the players something new to bite off, adjust the forecheck and neutral zone or whatever you want. When the spirit is a little ragged, you spend a lot of time just on that. We have been able to advance. The spirit has been good. Obviously, winning helps but there will be ebbs and flows throughout the year.”
The Red Wings will play the Ottawa Senators on January 7.
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