The New York Rangers have been playing some inspired hockey as of late, but they still find themselves firmly in last place in the Eastern Conference. A slow start and a miserable record on home ice contributed to what has been a bad, lackluster season for the Rangers. When the play is bad, all focus goes on the captain, and that's J.T. Miller.
Miller hasn't exactly lived up to the trade the team made last season. He isn't as productive as last year, scoring-wise. That, and he's dealt with a variety of injuries this season. It's been ultimately a season for Miller he'd like to forget. Miller hasn't endeared himself to the fanbase, considering some of comments he provides after losses by the team. As in, the comments weren't exactly of leadership quality.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan revealed on Tuesday that Miller has been having a "difficult" year and that the captain is his own harshest critic.
Mike Sullivan says J.T. Miller's difficult season has 'been hard on him'
“I know it’s been hard on him,” Sullivan told reporters after practice on Tuesday, h/t Andrew Crane of the New York Post. “It’s been hard on him because obviously he has high expectations of himself and the group, and when we don’t meet those, I think nobody feels it more than the leaders.”
The Rangers obviously had high hopes for Miller to help provide some legitimate scoring on the roster. Even after playing just a couple of months in his second tenure with the Rangers, the team named him captain. That's how highly general manager Chris Drury and Sullivan thought of Miller, who implemented a "No BS" motto for the team. That motto didn't exactly stick, as the Rangers fell all the way down to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, and they are essentially stuck there.
Miller suffered an injury during training camp, forcing him to miss the majority of the preseason. He missed time in December and January due to an upper body injury. There was also his most recent stint on the injured reserve following the Olympic break. In total, he's played in just 53 games this season.
During this stretch, he has just 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points. Compare that to last season, where he put up 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in just 32 games. He has not come close to the production he had during his stint with the Vancouver Canucks, such as the 99 point 2021-22 season or the 103 point 2023-24 campaign.
Miller did show his value on the penalty kill in the Olympics for Team USA, where they didn't allow a single goal on the power play. That did play a huge role in Team USA winning their first gold medal since 1980.
This season has not gone the way that Miller and Rangers fans had expected. Instead of getting back into playoff contention after a down 2024-25 season, they got even worse. At points, Miller was even at a loss for words, notably saying "I don't know" when asked what his message was to the Rangers before entering the Olympic break. Now, they are in lottery position. Maybe, just maybe, Miller can have a bounce back year next year. But when it comes to his play with the Rangers, Sullivan wanted it to be known that the captain is hard on himself.