RALEIGH, N.C. — K’Andre Miller didn’t need preseason game action to get a fast start with his new Carolina Hurricanes teammates.
The defenseman twice found the net in Carolina’s 6-3 season-opening win against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night, showing a glimpse of the potential that enticed the Hurricanes to acquire him from the New York Rangers and sign him to a long-term deal.
“It was amazing, I loved it,” Miller said.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Miller spent much of preseason wearing a yellow noncontact jersey in what coach Rod Brind’Amour called a precautionary move before he shed that to ramp up in the final week or so of camp. He was in a pairing with Jalen Chatfield, working 19-plus minutes of ice time with a team-high 31 shifts.
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“I thought he was exceptional,” Brind’Amour said. “Take the goals away, even — just impactful.
The Hurricanes saw the 25-year-old former first-round pick as an ideal fit for their aggressive system with his size and skating ability. He had shown flashes of his potential with the Metropolitan Division foe Rangers, including posting 17 goals and 56 assists for 73 points over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
But his play fell off last season as he went from building block to expendable in a rough finish to his time in New York. So the Hurricanes made the trade on the first day of free agency, then gave him an eight-year contract paying an average annual value of $7.5 million through the 2032-33 season.
Carolina has won a series in seven straight postseasons, including reaching the Eastern Conference final twice in the past three seasons before falling to two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida each time.
The Hurricanes looked to Miller and the signing of free agent Nikolaj Ehlers as part of their next steps to playing for the Cup. And they are looking for Miller in particular to bolster a system that relies on an aggressive forecheck to pressure opponents, get control of the puck and keep it to maintain pressure in the offensive zone.
He just decided to bring the offense to his Carolina debut, too, on a night when the Hurricanes repeatedly rang the post against Jacob Markstrom.
His first goal was unexpected. He took a puck from William Carrier along the boards and flicked it toward Markstrom from the slot. The puck appeared to deflect off Devils forward Nico Hischier, then slip past Markstrom as a hopper for a 2-1 lead midway through the second.
His third-period goal was far different: a powerful blast from near the left circle that sent the puck slamming off Markstrom’s glove, skittering off his arm and behind him into the net.
“Two quite different goals there,” said forward Seth Jarvis, who had the go-ahead deflection late in the third followed by an empty-netter from beyond the blue line. “But you could tell from the first time he stepped on the ice in practice at training camp that he’s a special player. And he’s still young, so I can only imagine what level he’s going to get to.”
Miller’s second goal sent the Hurricanes home crowd into a roar, with Miller kicking up his leg and yelling in celebration then motioning for more noise from the crowd before heading to the bench.
“I think that was one of the biggest things, just making a good first impression,” Miller said of his debut. “I think the guys have done an amazing job of getting me caught up to speed. And this adjustment period has been honestly very simple. Very easy, and all the guys are pushing me in the right direction.”
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