Rangers’ J.T. Miller named 29th captain in team history

On Tuesday, New York Rangers general manager Chris Drury announced that the team has named forward J.T. Miller as the 29th captain in franchise history.

Miller, an interesting choice for captain, is the first player to wear the ‘C’ for the Blueshirts since Jacob Trouba was traded to the Anaheim Ducks last December.

Drury stated in a release that there are several reasons why the team chose to go with the 32-year-old to lead this year’s group.

“Since his arrival last season,” Drury said. “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.”

Miller and the Rangers are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing 2024-25 season, where the team missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs after finishing fifth in the Metropolitan Division.

Miller returned to the Rangers last season amid tumultuous circumstances. Reported off-ice drama between him and Vancouver Canucks star Elias Pettersson forced the Canucks to make a decision. The team chose to stick with Pettersson, sending Miller, along with defenders Erik Brännström and Jackson Dorrington, to the Blueshirts in exchange for forward Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini, and a draft pick.

Miller managed to be a productive player in the final half of the 2024-25 season in New York, scoring 13 goals and 22 assists for 35 points in 32 games. In 72 total games last year, the East Palestine, Ohio native registered 22 goals and 48 assists for 70 points.

Miller began his NHL career with the Original Six franchise. The Rangers took him in the first round, 15th overall, of the 2011 NHL Draft. However, after over five seasons with the team, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in February 2018. A little over a season later, he was dealt to the Canucks.

It was in Vancouver where Miller started to shine and prove he could be a consistent scoring threat. During the 2023-24 season, in which the Canucks won the Pacific Division, Miller set career highs in goals (37) and points (103). He hit the 30-goal mark in three of his four seasons with the club.

In 871 career regular-season affairs, Miller has posted 260 goals and 449 assists for 709 points, with another 56 points coming in 91 postseason games.