The Carolina Hurricanes shocked the NHL world by adding a player to their blue line; however, it wasn’t a free agent signing. While Vladislav Gavrikov was on the market before signing with the New York Rangers, it seemed like the Carolina Hurricanes were possibly in on him. However, they pivoted and pulled off a sign-and-trade with the Rangers to acquire a different defenseman. In a shocking move, they traded for and extended K’Andre Miller. What was the trade and contract extension to have the 25-year-old join the Hurricanes?
Miller Is Now Raleigh-Bound
The Hurricanes made a surprising move by trading for Miller from the Rangers, by sending defenseman Scott Morrow, a conditional first-round pick (better of Carolina or Dallas, which the latter is also top-10 protected), and a 2026 second-round pick. Furthermore, the Hurricanes extended Miller to an eight-year, $60 million extension. The average annual value (AAV) will come to $7.5 million for the next eight seasons. Year one will have a $5.5 million salary with a $2 million signing bonus. Furthermore, years two through eight will be the base $7.5 million salary. The contract will also carry a 10-team no-trade clause.
Related: 2025 NHL Free Agency Tracker
Miller is a 6-foot-5 left-shot defenseman with terrific transitional skills and is a solid skater. He brings a great mix of physicality and scoring. He does have an active stick, which helps on the defensive side of the ice. It makes sense for the Hurricanes to acquire Miller as he brings some offense that they can get for a guy who’s 25 years old. In Carolina, he will be able to grow in his game with a team that’s been known to maximize their effect on defensemen. He has shown flashes of struggling when it comes to gap control and defending off the rush; however, with Jaccob Slavin and assistant coach Tim Gleason, they will help him fix those cons to his game.
Miller tallied seven goals and 27 points in 74 games during the 2024-25 season. He averaged 21:57 of ice time for the Rangers as a top-four defenseman and on the power play. He had 110 blocked shots and 107 hits, as he was someone who put his body on the line a ton last season. He is someone who can play well on both sides within the right system. There is a solid chance he could be paired with Slavin if the Hurricanes feel like that’s the logical pairing, despite Miller being a LHD. If not, there is a chance he could slot next to Sean Walker, who has a great defensive side to his game as well, to pair with Miller. Either way, Miller will fit in well for the Hurricanes and is someone who can reach his ceiling with a team that’s done it before, i.e., Brady Skjei.
Related: Hurricanes Sign Logan Stankoven to an 8-Year Contract Extension
For a guy who has a higher offensive upside, while also having good tendencies on defense, this was a win-win for Miller and the Hurricanes. Miller gets stability for the next eight seasons with a team that develops defensemen well. Regarding the Hurricanes, they take on a 25-year-old defenseman who can play the system well and learn from Slavin, Gleason, Jalen Chatfield and others. Plus, he will be an unrestricted free agent when he’s 33. An upside to have him stay in Raleigh long-term to match the Slavin deal and keep the blue line in check for the next near decade.
Defense Is Solidified
Now that the sign-and-trade is done and dusted, what is the next move for the Hurricanes? The defense is all but locked up for at least the next two seasons with Miller and Slavin playing together on the blue line for the next eight. They still need to figure out the second-line center and top-six winger option, but at least for now, the defense is all set. Not a bad first day of free agency for Eric Tulsky and company.
