Prospect Info: K'Andre Miller (D) - Part IV

[The Crypto Guy]

What a game he’a having today. Who cares if he had a couple games average games, he’s a rookie for crying out loud.

 

[haveandare]

Best game in a while. Really, really solid all around. Awesome to see

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Does anyone else feel like teams like Pittsburgh that create so much off the rush are just much worse matchups for him than a team like Boston?

 

[The New Russian Five]

Does anyone else feel like teams like Pittsburgh that create so much off the rush are just much worse matchups for him than a team like Boston?

Maybe a little. It's a lot to ask a rookie to defend against Crosby/Malkin bearing down on you. He'll get the hang of it.

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

Does anyone else feel like teams like Pittsburgh that create so much off the rush are just much worse matchups for him than a team like Boston?

Maybe as a rookie. But I think stopping the opposition on the rush is ultimately going to be his trademark.

 

[True Blue]

You are relentlessly exhausting guy. Do you just enjoy being confrontational with everyone on a message board?

All I said was he could use a game or two off to reset and collect himself a bit which is completely reasonable and you have a problem with that too...

Yikes man.

All is being said is that he is a rookie like other rookies before him.

And let’s fool no one. Were he scratched for a few games , these board would be lit up with posts slamming Quinn for doing exactly as you suggest.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

BuT He NeVer HiTs AnYOnE

 

[Filthy Dangles]

loved this, and the little toe drag afterwards.



shoulda hit em with the....

 

[duhmetreE]

BuT He NeVer HiTs AnYOnE

I may have crazy expectations for a coaching staff and a team completing a tape2tape pass... but a 21 year old defenseman... playing like he has.. What type of company are we talking about?

McAvoy? Makar? Heiskanen? Hedman? etc..

What are the expectations here? He's within, or near, an elite category of players.... and he has a monumental amount of potential still... His recovery is the best I've ever seen from a player. He will be a black hole swallowing up lines/players within a few years imo

 

[nyr2k2]

loved this, and the little toe drag afterwards.

Yeah, he has never been an overly physical player despite his size. I think though once he truly realizes he can ragdoll guys just by pushing them, you'll see it a bit more. He's so damn strong.

 

[bl02]

Yeah, he has never been an overly physical player despite his size. I think though once he truly realizes he can ragdoll guys just by pushing them, you'll see it a bit more. He's so damn strong.

you can even see the ref baffled. He knew it was a legal hit but at the same time Miller just ragdolled Mcleod. He’s still a baby. Just wait another 2-3 years. With his size and reach and mobility. Very exciting.

 

[duhmetreE]

you can even see the ref baffled. He knew it was a legal hit but at the same time Miller just ragdolled Mcleod. He’s still a baby. Just wait another 2-3 years. With his size and reach and mobility. Very exciting.

Imagine he became a mammoth like Byfuglien.. Wasn't he 'lanky' as well when he first came up? or am I remembering wrong

 

[TominNC]

Was nice to see K'Andre knock some people on their ass. He needs more of that rather than using his 15 foot reach.

 

[bl02]

Imagine he became a mammoth like Byfuglien.. Wasn't he 'lanky' as well when he first came up? or am I remembering wrong

K’Andre is really built. He will gain more weight for sure but never get to the mass of Byfuglien. miller won’t be lanky for long. He’s listed at 210? He will be 230 easy in a few years and it won’t have negative impact on his mobility.

 

[bl02]

Imagine he became a mammoth like Byfuglien.. Wasn't he 'lanky' as well when he first came up? or am I remembering wrong

I think Miller was more “lanky” more lean and muscular. Byfuglien has different build one more prone to put on weight. He hit 305 in Winnipeg lol
Check out pics from Chara’s rookie year. That’s Miller with of course 3-4 inch difference in height

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I may have crazy expectations for a coaching staff and a team completing a tape2tape pass... but a 21 year old defenseman... playing like he has.. What type of company are we talking about?

McAvoy? Makar? Heiskanen? Hedman? etc..

What are the expectations here? He's within, or near, an elite category of players.... and he has a monumental amount of potential still... His recovery is the best I've ever seen from a player. He will be a black hole swallowing up lines/players within a few years imo

I honestly don't know. I don't think he's ever going to process the game at a super high level but he doesn't really need to because he has the feet and reach to make up for a ton of mistakes as you mentioned. His play this year hasn't been perfect and he's had some ugly moments (really, who hasn't?) but some of the "Skjei" comparisons are so far off and stupid. He'll never be able to win with some guys because he's 6'5" and doesn't kill people, but those people are misguided anyway.

He flashes some absolutely ridiculous stuff though. He made a play during the Islander game where he was behind the net, literally pushed the puck into an area with his enormous reach to evade a forechecker and skated it end to end. It was one of the more cartoonish sequences I've seen from him because no one else on the team has the capability of doing that and few in the league do.

I still say hes got a Parayko level of ceiling because of the limitations of his brain, but the mobility, reach and athleticism give him such a leg up on everyone. Also if this were a full 82 game season he would have flirted with 10 goals. He'll pick up points along the way just by playing his regular game, but whats his goal scoring ceiling? Is he a 10-15+ goal guy annually? His shot has been an under utilized weapon this year but he'll probably start using it more as he gets more comfortable.

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

I have to say, while Key isn’t lighting the world on fire, I’m still in awe every game at how far he has come. It’s incredible.

I genuinely thought he’d struggle in the AHL this year - watched him plenty since we drafted him. Yet here he is playing a respectable 20+ minutes a night and mostly not looking out of place. Just very impressive.

 

[Harbour Dog]

I have to say, while Key isn’t lighting the world on fire, I’m still in awe every game at how far he has come. It’s incredible.

I genuinely thought he’d struggle in the AHL this year - watched him plenty since we drafted him. Yet here he is playing a respectable 20+ minutes a night and mostly not looking out of place. Just very impressive.

I think that most of us were of that mindset. If you looked at most people's expectations on draft day, I would say that he's AT LEAST a year ahead of them, if not more.

 

[duhmetreE]

I honestly don't know. I don't think he's ever going to process the game at a super high level but he doesn't really need to because he has the feet and reach to make up for a ton of mistakes as you mentioned. His play this year hasn't been perfect and he's had some ugly moments (really, who hasn't?) but some of the "Skjei" comparisons are so far off and stupid. He'll never be able to win with some guys because he's 6'5" and doesn't kill people, but those people are misguided anyway.

He flashes some absolutely ridiculous stuff though. He made a play during the Islander game where he was behind the net, literally pushed the puck into an area with his enormous reach to evade a forechecker and skated it end to end. It was one of the more cartoonish sequences I've seen from him because no one else on the team has the capability of doing that and few in the league do.

I still say hes got a Parayko level of ceiling because of the limitations of his brain, but the mobility, reach and athleticism give him such a leg up on everyone. Also if this were a full 82 game season he would have flirted with 10 goals. He'll pick up points along the way just by playing his regular game, but whats his goal scoring ceiling? Is he a 10-15+ goal guy annually? His shot has been an under utilized weapon this year but he'll probably start using it more as he gets more comfortable.

I actually thought the opposite, in that he often makes good reads while playing defense. I don't see limitations on how he reads the game. He's obviously not elite tier Fox level but imo it's not a negative. It's sufficient. He's still so raw on experience... I can't forget how he looked the first half of the season. How he 'erased' Crosby and/or anyone that 'tried him'. He was a monster...

His play slipped a little after his injury but he seems to be getting a second wind here. Either way, his potential is astronomical and I expect him to be a key-piece to the puzzle.

 

[Ola]

I think that most of us were of that mindset. If you looked at most people's expectations on draft day, I would say that he's AT LEAST a year ahead of them, if not more.

Yup, everything is on track which is just so important. Not rushed to the NHL too early, getting hurt in the AHL or whatever. Very far ahead and easy sailing so far.

I think that only the sky is the limit for this kid.

His flaws and shortages have always sorted in the luxury problem at a lower level cathegory. For me it’s easy, (a) he is built the right way. Long reach and strong without being heavy set. (b) Obvious from day 1 a really fast learner. He got into problems at the junior level when he tried to be a mix of Bobby Orr and Scott Stevens every once in a while, ie trying to do too much. But it wasn’t like he did that all the time, far from it.

But just as important is what happens after draft day. No hiccups.

There are some many relatively really good defenders, top 60/90/120 in the World or whatever, that are really up and down ultimately. That struggles a lot in this league. Shayne Goatisbhere is one that I thought of the other day. Jonas Brodin has had some deep downs for Minny before stabilizing lately. Tyson Barrie is having a good year. But have had some downs too. And so forth.

Many Ds that really break out and beats expectations have really solid starts to their NHL career. Letang and Green were at the top for a while, a coincidence that one played with Sid and the other with AO? Then Carlson replaced Green. You are guaranteed pts in that role.

The mental aspects are obviously huge for these guys. Need to stay confident in that you can be consistent and handle it day in and day out. While banged up and what not. There are no givens here, but Key is up to a great start!

 

[ElLeetch]

I think that most of us were of that mindset. If you looked at most people's expectations on draft day, I would say that he's AT LEAST a year ahead of them, if not more.

Yep. I don't mind he has bad games here and there. Even if at the end of this season, he grades out as a C+ or a B-, thats still miles ahead of where we thought he would be (2nd pair down in the AHL)

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Yeah, he has never been an overly physical player despite his size. I think though once he truly realizes he can ragdoll guys just by pushing them, you'll see it a bit more. He's so damn strong.

Yes, he's a freak athlete. Some of the gaps he closes are nuts too, and he gets as much on his shot with a quarter backswing than guys with a full windup, i've noticed.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I actually thought the opposite, in that he often makes good reads while playing defense. I don't see limitations on how he reads the game. He's obviously not elite tier Fox level but imo it's not a negative. It's sufficient. He's still so raw on experience... I can't forget how he looked the first half of the season. How he 'erased' Crosby and/or anyone that 'tried him'. He was a monster...

His play slipped a little after his injury but he seems to be getting a second wind here. Either way, his potential is astronomical and I expect him to be a key-piece to the puzzle.

I meant limited in the sense where he's not going to dominate the game with his brain. Adequate is a good way to describe it and theres some room for growth there which you can definitely point to time and reps as a partial remedy.

As far as a rookie season goes, this is about as good as we could have hoped for. The reps he got this year are going to be huge for him moving forward.

 

[Black Tank]

Having Trouba back has also helped Miller get back to top form. He's calm and steady and doesn't look winded as much as Laf does. Both of them will benefit from a regular off season and a regular spaced out 21-22 season.

 

[MysticLeviathan]

Trouba doesn’t get enough credit for being a rock for Miller. The two have been a solid pair and have great chemistry. His physical attributes have helped recover from a mistake. Hopefully as he continues to grow he’ll make fewer mistakes to begin with.