Sure, the NHL season is two months in, with all 32 teams determining whether they have a legitimate chance at the Stanley Cup. But this year there's an extra factor playing filtering all eyes looking toward the future.
For the first time since the Sochi Olympics in 2014, active NHL players will populate Olympic rosters. That means by the end of December, most NHL players will have an idea of whether they will represent their country at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy this upcoming February.
New York Rangers fans will likely have more than a few reasons to tune in, as the team is expected to be well represented in Milan, especially on Team USA. Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan is the head coach for Team USA, much like he was in the 4 Nations Face-Off. There are expected to be some Rangers on his roster. But could one be held out?
ESPN's Ryan S. Clark unveiled his final roster predictions for some of the teams participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics. For Team USA, Vincent Trocheck is projected to make the team as a forward, while defenseman Adam Fox is listed as an extra. One notable absence on the roster is Rangers captain J.T. Miller.
Rangers captain J.T. Miller left off ESPN's Team USA projected roster
"There's still a chance Miller could make the final roster given he is another two-way presence that can be used on the wing or down the middle. But his selection has been complicated by the fact that he's averaging 0.62 points this season, despite having a 0.81 points-per-game career average," writs Clark.
It's no secret that Miller has not gotten off to the start that the fans and the team expected him to. The Rangers made the huge trade last season to bring Miller back from the Vancouver Canucks. In his limited playing time last year, Miller recorded 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 33 games. Then, the Rangers named him team captain this offseason.
But during training camp, Miller dealt with an injury that forced him to miss time in the preseason, which he admitted affected his play early on in the season. Then, Miller missed two games in November due to an upper body injury.
In the first 20 games of the season, Miller had just nine points to his credit, four of those points being goals. That was far from ideal, as the Rangers were banking on Miller to be their top points-getter, especially a top line forward. But as of late, Miller has really turned things around.
In the Rangers' past nine games, Miller scored three goals and recorded six assists for a total of nine points. So he's currently recording a point per game. That's exactly what the Rangers were expecting this season.
All national teams have until the end of December to finalize their rosters for the Olympics. There's a chance that Miller could make a case to secure a spot on the team. After all, he does play for the head coach on a game-to-game basis. But given the young stars around the league playing better, Miller could ultimately lose out on competing for a gold medal.