Rangers’ J.T. Miller activated off IR, likely to return against Wild
The New York Rangers are about to get their captain back in the lineup.
Center J.T. Miller was activated off of injured reserve earlier on Saturday, which is a strong indication that he will be available to play in Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.
#NYR J.T. Miller has been activated off injured reserve, per NHL media site. A good indication he'll return to the lineup tonight.
Miller had missed the last five games with an upper-body injury. It was unclear what caused the injury, as he was suddenly placed on injured reserve earlier in the month, but it was unrelated to the injury which kept him out of the lineup for nine total games earlier this season. The Rangers went 4-1-0 during Miller’s absence.
After returning to form when he joined the Rangers last season, many expected Miller would continue that play in 2025-26. However, he has struggled significantly in his first season as captain in New York, with just 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points in 51 games, his worst scoring pace since before his breakout season in 2019-20.
Miller is currently slated to play on the second line with Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle. The trio has been outscored 1-0 but has a 61.28% 5v5 score- and-venue adjusted expected goal share in 19:34 of ice time together. Miller will also play on the Ranger’s top power play unit with Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox and Alexis Lafreniere.
Taylor Raddysh will also draw into the lineup after missing the last three games. He was was away from the team for the first two games due to a personal matter, and then was left out of the lineup for Thursday’s 6-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets. He has nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in 59 games.
The Rangers currently sit in last in the Eastern Conference with a 27-30-8 record, and are 16 points behind the Boston Bruins for the final Wild Card spot in the East. They’ll look to extend their stretch of six points in seven games when they visit the Wild on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.