It is time for the Rangers to admit the J.T. Miller captaincy flub

It might be a bitter pill to swallow, but the New York Rangers are not the team that we want them to be. There are holes all over this lineup, and that was evident before the trade deadline. Honestly, that was evident before the re-release of " The Letter".

As this franchise looks to start over-ish, a retool is on its way and that can only mean one thing. Change. The Rangers are going to remake their core group, reshape their identity and rely on blossoming young talent to lead them into whatever comes next.

There is one crucial change that needs to happen if this retool is going to be fast. The current captaincy must be stripped and left vacant.

Stripping the C off of Miller?

The Rangers had great intentions when they brought back J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks, and moved Jacob Trouba to Anaheim. The team, as a whole, was right in the last crack or two at their championship window. Or, so we thought.

The captaincy was awarded to Trouba when this team came out of the rebuilding years of 2018 through 2021, and it was the right call at the time. With two Eastern Conference Final appearances in three years and a Presidents' Trophy to their name, it was an underachieving window, hence the messy departure of Trouba.

Then Miller was brought in to continue his success and elevate the potential of the group, but it has been anything but. Since Miller rejoined the Blueshirts in the middle of last season, this team has a record of 43-47-11. This season is another No. 8's first go-around with the "C" on his chest, and once again, it has been a disappointment.

Injuries have hindered Miller's play this season, but it seemed like he found another gear playing with Team USA at the Olympics. With the Rangers this season, he has 14 goals, 25 assists for 39 points in 55 games, a stark drop-off from how he performed last season after the trade from Vancouver.

Aside from his on-ice performance, his leadership off the ice has not been stellar either. His comments about the Rangers faithful and their disgust for the result on the ice really opened some eyes about the face of this franchise. Then there have been some interesting quotes to the media.

Miller falling back on "I don't know" multiple times isn't what you want from your captain who is supposed to be a face of the franchise, and a pacesetter who is looked upon to "drag his team into the fight."

A change has to be made, and that doesn't mean shipping off Miller once again to another team. This Rangers team does not, and should not, have a sole leader right now. Captaincy is unnecessary with the direction that this team is heading in. The Rangers entered the 2013-14 season with a new motto of "clean slate.. grab it!" That team went on to win the Eastern Conference and compete for a Stanley Cup. Maybe that's a motto worth bringing back, as it's more representative that what needs to happen for the group going forward.