It might seem like forever ago – but J.T. Miller made his NHL debut with the New York Rangers in 2013. Now he finds himself as the captain of perhaps the most storied franchise in the NHL.
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But how the 31-year-old veteran got to this point is quite the interesting story.
A Promising Rookie to the Dog House
When Miller first entered the league, he made an instant impact. In just his second career game, he posted a two-goal performance against the New York Islanders. Miller, with his speed and motor, seemed like he would be a great fit under then-coach John Tortorella, who valued grinders and workhorses like Cam Atkinson and Ryan Callahan.
However, the Rangers decided to move on from Tortorella after the 2012-13 season and bring in Alain Vigneault. The relationship just never worked out between Vigneault and Miller, even after Miller found himself a full-time NHL role after bouncing between the American Hockey League (AHL) and NHL in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Frankly, I don’t think I have ever seen a coach harder on a young player than Vigneault was with Miller. It was hard for the 2011 first-round pick to find top-tier minutes and earn trust.
In December 2016, Vigneault was quoted in the New York Post saying, after cutting Miller’s ice time: “There are too many things being forced, and not just in our zone. You can’t force things that are not there. As much as we like the offensive looks that he’s getting, the ratio of chances for and against needs to be better” (from ‘Vigneault calls out J.T. Miller to explain shrinking Rangers role,’ New York Post, 12/28/16).
Although Miller posted an impressive 56 points in 82 games that season, it didn’t get better. In the middle of the next season, the once-promising Blueshirts prospect found himself in Tampa Bay, as part of the 2018 Trade Deadline firesale that started the rebuild.
Becoming a Star in Vancouver
But Miller’s stint was brief in Central Florida, as he was later traded to the Vancouver Canucks in a package that included a conditional first-round pick. And boy, did it ever work out for the Canucks and Miller. It was known that Miller had the potential to have a long career as a top-six forward who gets you 50-60 points. But his game went to a totally different level in British Columbia.
Miller found stardom, posting 99- and 103-point seasons with the Canucks. The Ohio native seemed like the perfect player to complement fellow star Elias Pettersson. However, there was a growing rift between the two, with the noise growing louder during 2024-25. In fact, this was something that Canucks coach at the time, Rick Tocchet, admitted publicly to reporters that the environment “got uncomfortable.”
So the Canucks were given no choice but to move on. Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury swooped in and traded a first-round pick, prospect Victor Mancini and Filip Chytil to get Miller back in New York. Given Miller’s versatility, the trade was well worth it, despite the Rangers missing the playoffs last season. The 31-year-old should offer the Blueshirts prime play for at least another few seasons. Plus, Miller can play center or wing.
On the ice, Miller seems like the perfect player to serve as a team captain. He drives the net, produces on the scoresheet, doesn’t shy away from scrums and is vocal to his teammates. Given his fallout from Vancouver, it’s quite impressive to see him get named captain just months after getting re-acquired. Clearly, his influence has resonated in the locker room.
With controversy surrounding him in the past, Miller will now get a chance to lead his team somewhere that hasn’t been done since Mark Messier in 1994. Enough talent is on the Rangers roster; now it’s up to Miller to guide them and everything else to gel together to get the organization its first Stanley Cup in over three decades.
