The Filip Chytil and K'Andre Miller "issue"

Coming off of a deep playoff run that ended in heartbreak to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final was just a glimpse of the future for New York Rangers fans.

Two key parts of that run showed that same future glimpse in the regular season. Those two players are Filip Chytil and K’Andre Miller. Now the question of why their breakout seasons are an issue might come up, and rightfully so.

The issue isn’t as much them breaking out as it’s the Rangers' looming cap crunch this summer. Heading into this summer, the Rangers will have roughly 16 million dollars in cap space next season. As a result, they will need to sign three key pieces of the team. Those being Filip Chytil and K’Andre Miller. As well as former first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere.

Now the Alexis Lafreniere contract, they can get away with a Kakko-like bridge deal in the realm of a two-year, two-million-dollar deal. So that’s not the issue at hand.

Instead, where the issue comes into play is when you look at the contracts of Filip Chytil and K’Andre Miller coming up. So assume you give Lafreniere a two-million-dollar deal that leaves you with 14 million to pay Chytil and Miller.

First, let’s look at Chytil. This season, he has broken out and proven his scoring touch. In just 41 games played, he has 16 goals and 29 points this season, which puts him on pace for 28 goals and 52 points. Keep in mind these are projections from what he’s already done without much power-play time and being on the third-line for most of the season.

So, Drury will want to lock up Chytil long-term as, in two years, he’s a UFA, and the Rangers probably won’t be in a position to outbid other teams that might want the services of Chytil.

The issue is it is hard to value Chytil right now. In my opinion, he’s proven he should've been the number two center instead of spending on Trocheck. He finally has confidence and is the main driving force on the “kid line” with Kakko and Lafreniere.

Ideally, you lock Chytil down to a 4-5 year deal with an AAV of around four to five million a year. Or you could take a chance and sign him to a heftier 6x6 deal like the Maple Leafs did with William Nylander, and then if he keeps this upward movement, it’ll be a steal in the next few years.

Moving on to Key. Miller has been lights out for most of the season after his early slump alongside his partner Trouba. The size, hands, and speed he has is the perfect combo.

He’s proven he is a top-4 defenseman and looks to anchor that blueline with Adam Fox for years to come. Of course, assuming we can afford him, which isn’t that easy.

He is on pace for eight goals and 41 total points. That is an excellent season for a defenseman. Especially when you see he doesn’t get nearly any power-play minutes and is on the second pairing.

He drives the offense when he’s on the ice. He has the speed to catch up if he makes a mistake, the size to be a pest in the zone, and the hands to put some points on the board. He is clutch. K’Andre Miller is a big-game and big-moment player.

He’s proven this over the past few years with a game-ending goal against Seattle last season in the final seconds and then with a game-tying goal against Dallas this season with two-tenths of a second left in regulation. He is what the Rangers need. He plays hard regardless of the situation.

So when looking at a player like Key you have to consider his value to the team and also what his value would be to other teams. Let’s be honest here, he has been the 2nd best defenseman this season behind Adam Fox.

He drives the play makes the right decisions creates opportunity. As well as keeping the puck out of the net for the most part, which is good considering the start he had this season.

He’s 23, young, and a part of the future, so you have to commit to him long-term, so in my opinion I think Key could 100% be a guy signed to a 6-7 year deal at an AAV of around 6-7 mill. It is too risky to give him a bridge deal in my opinion. He could break out even more and then he commands much much more.

Even with the cap going up to around 90 million in a couple of seasons it is hard to imagine a world where if we have to pay Key that summer that it is as cheap as it is right now.

With that being said, if you’ve done the math, what is ideal is more than 16 million in cap, yeah, so where does that money come from? The first is letting go of Barclay Goodrow. I understand what he brings to the team and it is a nice thing to have, but, paying someone 3 million dollars for playoff experience is a little wild to me. Especially when you look into the prospects we have lined up. Brennan Othmann is looking to be the real deal, Will Cuylle, Ryder Korczak. The Rangers have wingers and forwards ready to play within the next two-three years.

So it just makes the most sense to let Goodrow go, along with Sammy Blais who has just been an absolute non-contributor his entire tenure here in New York, just an utter disappointment and a total loss by GM Chris Drury. Especially considering the great deal a young scoring winger would do for this team, we had him in Pavel Buchnevich but now he’s gone.

The second option, which is the least likely option is trading Jacob Trouba. They’re paying Trouba too much money for what he offers in my opinion. I understand if he’s a voice in the locker room and he’s a part of the culture, but you need to pay the future, and to be honest, I don’t know if I see Trouba fitting into that future.

He’s been pretty lackluster this year. One game he’ll look like the 8 million dollars shut down guy we traded for, then next game he’ll look like he’s never stepped foot on a rink. He constantly gets beaten in front of the net and teams actively target his side of the ice, it is very obvious.

To be honest, the Rangers' top 4 in my opinion should be Fox, Miller, Lindgren, and Schneider. With Jones, Harpur, and another cheap vet completing the 6 and extra. Or even consider calling up Matthew Robertson from Hartford.

I know he’s the captain but he’s been poor all seasons and mediocre at best. I also believe Trocheck may be a cash dump soon also as Chytil has more than earned that second-line center role in my opinion.

The New York Rangers do not have money like last year. They are now a contending team. This is where contending teams show how willing they are to take risks. You need to sign Lafreniere, Chytil, and Miller. They are the future. After Panarin, Mika, and Kreider are gone the “kid line” Fox and Miller will be our core and they’ll be right in the middle of their primes, although Fox might just be in his prime his entire career.

There’s the playing side than the business side of hockey. Drury is well-versed in both aspects. I trust he will know what to do but he has some tough decisions coming up this summer. You can’t afford to lose guys like Chytil, Miller, and Laf for pennies on the dollar.