The New York Rangers are set to celebrate their 100th season of existence, and it just so happens that this will be the first season with Mike Sullivan as head coach. Sullivan is set to oversee the roster and build the team in his image. For the most part, the roster is leftover from Peter Laviolette's last year at the helm.
But on Tuesday, there was shocking news, as the Rangers announced that they have named J.T. Miller the 29th captain in franchise history. This comes months after the Rangers reacquired him from the Vancouver Canucks.
This decision goes to show the state of the Rangers.
J.T. Miller being named captain should be the most unsurprising news for Rangers fans
As Rangers fans all know, last season was a disaster for the team. After making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024, the team fell off a cliff, and they looked defeated for the most part of the 2024-25 season. There were numerous reports about the team having low morale under Laviolette as head coach, and they were upset with general manager Chris Drury over trading away players like Jacob Trouba and Barclay Goodrow.
At the trade deadline, the Rangers decided to bring Miller back in. Miller is known for his passion for winning, so the belief was that he would light a fire under the team. But that passion from Miller did play a role in his exit from Vancouver, as he had a reported beef with teammate Elias Pettersson, who is more of a quiet player.
Miller being named the captain isn't necessarily shocking, but the belief among Rangers fans was that Vincent Trocheck was going to earn that role. According to The Athletic's Vince Mercogliano, Drury met with Trocheck and the rest of the team to "gauge feelings" about Miller being named the captain, and they were all on board. Mercogliano also says that the Rangers players knew Miller being named captain was going to happen. The most important tidbit that Mercogliano mentioned was that Miller and Trocheck are close friends.
Heard from a league source that Drury met with Trocheck and the rest of the #NYR leadership group to "gauge feelings" about Miller as captain and everyone was on board. Players knew it was coming and offered support. It helps, I'm sure, that Miller and Trocheck are close friends. https://t.co/pHG755EM9y
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) September 16, 2025
The Rangers are trying to get tougher, so naming Miller captain isn't a shock. But the speed of which they did so, a matter of months after they traded for him, speaks volumes about the culture the team wants to set. And no other player on the roster was under consideration stands out for sure.