J.T. Miller should hold the Rangers accountable this season

The New York Rangers go into the 2025-26 NHL regular season with a new leader, naming J.T. Miller the 29th captain in franchise history last month.

The forward joined the Rangers after a trade from the Vancouver Canucks last season, proceeding to score 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points in 32 games with the blueshirts. Finishing the season with 70 points, Miller is hoping to get back to the production he found during his time with the Canucks, when he finished with 99, 82 and 103 points between 2021-22 and 2023-24, respectively.

Beyond the points, the Rangers are hoping Miller, known for his work ethic and holding teammates accountable, will bring a level of discipline to a New York group that dealt with off-ice issues in 2024-25.

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discuss Miller’s impact on the Rangers and if he can lead them back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tyler Yaremchuk: The Rangers’ 2024-25 season was a disaster, with off-ice distractions like Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider, then you trade your captain mid-season, then you make the big splash for J.T. Miller but it’s too little, too late.

You look at their numbers, and nothing was really that bad beyond their power play. I have no doubt Igor Shesterkin will be fine for them this year, but when you look at this Rangers team, do you think having Miller as the captain will give them a little bit of stability in that locker room? Maybe he’s the guy who won’t stand for any of the B.S. that went down there last year? Is solving the off-ice stuff enough of a boost to get them back to the playoffs?

Carter Hutton: I guess this is the team for me that, when we made our predictions last year and looked at the Eastern Conference, they were not one I thought were going to be on the outside looking in. I thought they were going to get in and get their act together, but that being said, it felt like a broken locker room.

What I do like is Miller as a captain. He seems like a demanding individual, a guy that will hold people accountable. You look at Artemi Planarian, these guys are prideful people who want to have bounceback years. What I do like is that you have Shesterkin, who is a world-class goalie, with Jonathan Quick nestled into that backup role.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…