
The New York Rangers have spent much of the year at the bottom of the standings, and they currently sit last in the Eastern Conference as the regular season winds down.
Injuries have played a role in the Rangers' slide, forcing younger players into expanded responsibilities and leaving key veterans and locker-room leaders outside of the lineup at different times.
One of the players sidelined, team captain J.T. Miller, was placed on injured reserve on March 3 with an upper-body injury and has only appeared in 51 games of the 65 played this season.
According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, Miller's injury was not related to the issue that kept him out for eight games in late December and early January.
With the Rangers getting ready to host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, head coach Mike Sullivan provided an update on Miller’s status a day before the matchup.
“'Barring any unforeseen things', (Sullivan) anticipates captain J.T. Miller playing tomorrow vs. Minnesota,” the New York Post's Mollie Walker reported on Friday.
Miller has recorded 38 points (14 goals and 24 assists) in 51 games this season, ranking third on the team in scoring. He has averaged 20:39 minutes per night when available, playing in both the Rangers' power-play and penalty-kill units.
#NYR head coach Mike Sullivan says “barring any unforeseen things,” he anticipates captain J.T. Miller playing tomorrow vs. Minnesota.
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) March 13, 2026
During Miller’s absence, rookies Gabriel Perreault and Noah Laba took on larger special-team roles and saw an uptick in playing time as well as taking over higher line-up slots in the forward corps.
The Rangers gave Miller the captain role at the start of the season, his first full one back in New York after the franchise traded for him last season.
Miller logged just under 20 minutes in his final appearance before the injury, a game the Rangers lost 4-5 in overtime to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Mar. 2.
New York returns to action against Minnesota on Saturday, with puck drop set for 6:00 p.m. ET.
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