NHL Rumors: Rangers Heading Towards Bridge Deal With Young Defenceman

The New York Rangers have their top-four defence set for what appears to be a while. Adam Fox is signed through 2029, Jacob Trouba is signed through 2026, and Ryan Lindgren is a RFA after next season. But the fourth defenceman, K'Andre Miller, has stepped up and become a real force on the back-end for the team.

Instead of a long-term deal right out of his entry-level contract, the situation appears to be headed towards a bridge deal. Vincent Mercogliano states a bridge deal in the $4-5 million AAV range seems reasonable for Miller. He has five goals and 25 points in 45 games this season.

This approach to extending Miller may be the only approach the team can take seeing as the player has really broken out and seems to be on the rise. They won't have the cap space to increase the AAV based on long-term projections and will have more cap space to give their young defenceman more money when Trouba's $8 million AAV is off the books in a few seasons. I expect a bridge deal to last until 2026 so that their contracts line up and are able to give Miller what he may deserve at that time.

The Rangers have other players to extend soon and have to manage the cap while staying a top team. It's also not always the best option to give players seven or eight-year contracts right out of their entry-level deals. Three seasons will be the right amount of time to get a much clearer picture of what type of player Miller will be long-term for the Rangers.