Why JT Miller Was Rangers Right Choice

In January of 2025, the New York Rangers brought back J.T. Miller. In September of 2025, he was named the franchise's next captain.

And it was the right decision, for many reasons.

Rangers' President and General Manager Chris Drury made it clear back that bringing Miller back wasn't simply a quick-fix attempt from the disastrous 2024-25 NHL season as there are five years remaining on the 32-year-old's contract with an AAV of $8 million. Clearly, Miller's return means business. In fact, in just his very first game back — which took place only one day after being traded — Miller showed his grit by netting a goal in the opening period against the Boston Bruins and added another early in the third.

Miller's return to New York — he was drafted by the Blueshirts in 2011 and played six seasons there before being traded — brought an instant jump in scoring and a power-play boost. Miller was just starting to scratch the surface of his potential during his original stint on Broadway. In 341 games he tallied 72 goals and added 100 assists for 172 points. His brief stint in Tampa was more of the same, but he broke out in Vancouver with the Canucks for 437 points in 404 games across six seasons including 99 and 103-point campaigns.

Miller finished his partial stint back with 32 games played, 13 goals, 22 assists for 35 points featuring an average of 1.09 points per game, which was up from the 0.88 points per game he registered in Vancouver. On the whole, he had 70 points in 72 games, and the hope is that he will be an upper echelon point per game forward in the coming years and foreseeable future.

"We're pleased to announce J.T. Miller as the new captain of the New York Rangers," Drury said. "Since his arrival last season, J.T. immediately became a leader for our group and exemplifies how we want to conduct ourselves both on and off the ice. Congratulations to J.T. and his entire family on an incredibly meaningful achievement and we're confident he will continue to represent our organization with class, commitment, and integrity."