The New York Rangers are in the midst of a west coast road trip, which began on Tuesday with a 3-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Captain J.T. Miller was in the spotlight, as he went viral for a supposed lack of hustle while on defense, leading to a Golden Knights goal. But Miller also lamented his inability to score goals so far in the season, and knows he has to step up.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan is trying out a potential solution for their game on Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche.
At practice on Thursday, Miller was spotted on a line alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, the latter of whom is the captain's childhood friend. In response, Sullivan moved Alexis Lafrienere onto a line with Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuylle. Sullivan said he's going with this strategy as Miller and Zibanejad haven't been too effective on the same line.
Mike Sullivan shifts J.T. Miller on line with Vincent Trocheck in attempt to give spark to captain
"We're trying to find some combinations here that give us a more consistent threat offensively. Although I think Troch's line has drove a lot of offense," said Sullivan, h/t Mollie Walker of the New York Post. "I feel like Mika and J.T., in the last handful of games, haven't been as effective offensively. So sometimes, to effect a little bit of change from a personnel standpoint, can help those guys capture their best games."
The Rangers brought in Miller last season and hoped he could provide an offensive spark, much like he did for most of his tenure with the Vancouver Canucks. In 32 games with the Rangers last year, Miller notched 35 points, including 13 goals. The hope was that Miller's production would carry over in his first full season with the Rangers in nearly a decade.
Thus far, Miller has just four goals and a total of 10 points this season. Not what the Rangers or Miller expected entering the campaign, especially since he was supposed to be one of their top scoring options.
Maybe reuniting with Trocheck could do the trick. The two grew up together in the Pittsburgh area and have remained best friends ever since. Trocheck had been sidelined for most of the season due to an upper body injury suffered in their second game. Trocheck returned Nov. 10 against the Nashville Predators. In the past five games, Trocheck has four points (two goals, two assists). His return did provide a spark for the Rangers offense, one that has struggled for most of the year.
Not to mention, Panarin has been on fire ever since he shaved his head. Since Nov. 7, Panarin has three goals and nine assists. You can't argue with the results. The decision seemed to help.
Perhaps the easiest way to get Miller back on the stat sheets is to put him on the same line alongside two of their top scorers. We'll see if it works against the Avalanche.