The New York Rangers are playing their best hockey of the season right now. Only problem is, it is coming at a time when they are out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and every win hurts their immediate future to be determined by the NHL Draft lottery.
Will Cuylle has been enjoying a nice surge at the conclusion of the year, but he is not the only one. J.T. Miller, the newly minted captain after returning from Vancouver, has also been a bit of a run here which sparks some conversation going into the summer.
Let’s go over it.
Finally getting hot
Miller was supposed to be one of, if not the, top scorer on this team this season. That is still including Artemi Panarin, if he had not been traded prior to the deadline. Injuries, controversial comments to the media, and a gold medal in the Olympics have been some of the highlights for Miller this season which leaves fans feeling complicated about him.
All of the above have not been a positive performance on the ice with the Rangers, and with Miller as someone who was supposed to be a culture setter, that creates an uncomfortable truth to be confronted.
Instead of being a point per game player, Miller has taken a serious step back from his impressive run in Vancouver. Miller appeared in 32 games last season on Broadway, and he finished with 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points. He's skated in 64 this season and has a line of 17-33-50, and his per game production has dropped from 1.09 to .78.
The pressure of playing in front of the hostile crowd at the World’s Most Famous Arena might just be too much for him. Couple that with that captain's "C" on his chest, it is easy to see why his play has faltered since coming back to the Rangers.
To be fair, he has been a bit better as of late, which is something fans can look at. As the Rangers continue to win games, hurting their draft position, Miller has been a positive fixture. Over the last five games, including the 8-1 beatdown over the Washington Capitals, No. 8 has two goals and three assists for five points. I guess better late than never?
Looking toward the summer
This positive play to end the year sparks some conversation for the summer. What are the Rangers going to do with this retool? Where does Miller fall into the long-term plans? Could he end up being a transitional leader who is moved if the timeline is too long for Miller's liking?
The captain just turned 33 years old, and his playstyle will likely change in the next few years. To give himself some longevity, he cannot be trying to consistently play that ferocious game, and start to play with more finesse than might. There's been far too many examples of what he looks like when he's playing compromised, and that could be a glimpse into the future as Father Time catches up with him.
With the influx of younger players starting to make their way up to the NHL, like Gabe Perreault and Adam Sýkora, Jaroslav, Chmelař and various others, Miller needs to be a leader, first. Embrace being the loudest and most important voice in the room, and use it to his advantage to move the Rangers back into playoff contenders. If Miller can get healthy, simplify his game, and be a leader, the Rangers can work with that. Whether that comes to be... we will have to wait and see.