Rangers ‘got to move’ defenseman, according to Sean Avery
Sean Avery has never been one to hold back on his opinion, especially when it comes to his former team, the New York Rangers. Like any Rangers supporter, Avery is not happy with their dismal 2024-25 season to date.
The Rangers (16-17-1) are tied for last in the Metropolitan Division and have lost 13 of their past 17 games (4-13-0) ahead of a visit to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.
Avery believes changes need to be made and didn’t hold back when discussing K’Andre Miller, the 24-year-old defenseman who’s due a hefty pay raise as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.
“As far as K’Andre, you got to move him now,” Avery said on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast. “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 McDonough, because Ryan McDonough, when you put him in a war zone, he turns into a real warrior quick.”
Miller had 43 points two seasons ago as a 22-year-old. He dropped off to 30 points last season. But this season he has just six points (two goals, four assists) in 28 games and is minus-5, though still averaging 21:21 TOI, second most among Rangers defenseman.
Once predicted to be a star in the NHL, many now fear that Miller won’t achieve that kind of success in New York with the Rangers. Avery doesn’t believe Miller is worth the money he could get on his next contract, so trade him now — just as the Rangers just did with 23-year-old forward Kaapo Kakko.
“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,” Avery explained. “You gotta move early before and ‘Dru’ (general manager Chris Drury) did a great job with Kakko getting a third and a sixth (picks in the 2025 NHL Draft). I mean, that is a steal for that kid, an absolute steal.”
Moving Miller would create a major void on a thin Rangers defense corps. But he’s also likely Drury’s biggest chip to move ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7. It would be a serious play to trade Miller, once considered a lock to be part of New York’s next core of young talent.
But Avery has seen enough.
Right now, the Rangers are looking forward to Miller’s return from an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the lineup for six games. He’s expected back against the Lightning, paired with Will Borgen, who, coincidentally was acquired from the Seattle Kraken in the Kakko trade last week.
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Sean Avery believes Rangers should fire Peter Laviolette
Avery wasn’t done with Rangers hot takes on Spittin’ Chiclets. The former NHL tough guy, who played 264 games over six seasons and two stints with the Rangers, also suggested the Rangers fire coach Peter Laviolette.
“I’d fire him today,” Avery said. “Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. You have to, you have to, guys. In a big market like that, Eastern Conference Finals last year were that close. It starts. Unfortunately, that’s part of it. Yeah, the coach goes first, but that’s where I get nervous.
“The coach goes, then who goes? Then, then who do you bring in? The whole system is broken, and the iPads on the bench. What do you want to see? You want to watch your release point on that one like, ‘I need you in the game, fellas.'”
The defending Presidents’ Trophy winner could have a point with Laviolette. But this core already helped get one coach, Gerard Gallant, fired. And you could say two, if you include David Quinn, though that’s up for debate.
Would Drury fire the coach who’s won a Stanley Cup championship (in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes) and led the Rangers to the most wins (55) and points (114) in franchise history? Or at least do so at this juncture?
Maybe. Maybe not. But Drury has already traded captain Jacob Trouba, and followed by shipping out Kakko, the No. 2 pick in 2019. That’s an indication anyone and everyone is fair game.
Avery sees Laviolette as the one who should go next — though he also acknowledged the difficulty in finding an adequate replacement and then deciding which players to ship out afterward.
But in the end, Avery wants to see the Rangers part ways with Miller and Laviolette — the sooner, the better.
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