Rangers GM excited to acquire ‘one of the premier impact forwards in the NHL’
The New York Rangers just pulled off a major trade on Friday night, acquiring J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks as part of a package in exchange for forward Filip Chytil and defenseman Victor Mancini.
Miller brings a multifaceted game to the Rangers, playing with size, speed, and physicality, while also adding a point-per-game level of scoring. It is an exciting day for New York, with Miller set to play against the Boston Bruins Saturday afternoon.
“Certainly an exciting day, an exciting night last night, to acquire JT Miller,” said Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury. “Certainly one of the premiere impact forwards in the NHL. Brings a unique combination of skills, size and physicality to our team. Not just helps us this year in the short term, but will be a key part of our core moving forward.”
The move gives the Rangers great depth at the center position as Miller is coming off of a 103 point season in 2023-24 with Vancouver. While it hasn’t worked out that way thus far for him this season, it was clear that a change of scenery was needed, and that Miller was willing to waive his no-trade clause in order to become a Ranger once again.
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Drury confident in Miller trade, ‘felt comfortable doing the deal’
Miller had 9 goals and 35 points in 40 games this season with the Canucks, but it was clear that there were outside factors that may have been hurting his play. Miller took a leave of absence from the team that lasted 10 games, and there was also speculation that he and former teammate Elias Pettersson were having issues in the locker room.
Of course, there is room for doubt when acquiring any player who was believed to have off-ice issues with teammates, but Drury seems confident in his decision to bring back the Rangers’ former first-round pick.
“We’ve certainly done a lot of homework on that situation and on JT,” explained Drury. “We do have history with him, obviously having drafted him and being a Ranger. So we felt comfortable doing the deal. Obviously, I’m not in their dressing room or part of their organization, but wouldn’t have done the deal if I didn’t feel comfortable as to what he’s going to bring to us on and off the ice.”
In terms of his on-ice production, the hope is that Miller can find the game he’s had with Vancouver for the last three seasons. Dating back to the 2021-22 season, Miller posted 99, 82, and 103 point regular seasons with Vancouver, becoming one of the top power-forwards in the NHL.
He’s also found success in the playoffs. In 2019-20, Miller scored a career-high 18 points in 17 playoff games, and scored 12 points in 13 playoff games just last season. If the Rangers continue to push back into a playoff spot and are able to clinch a berth, having Miller on their team is bound to pay off.
“He’s a terrific 200-foot player,” said Drury. “He plays both sides of the puck, both special teams, he has a physical element and a high level of compete that we’re excited to bring to our group.”
The Rangers will get a good look at Miller leading up to the March 8 trade deadline. He’ll have five games to play with the Rangers before the 4-Nations Face-off, where he’ll suit up alongside teammates Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider, and Adam Fox for the United States.
Then, it’ll be time for Drury to decide what else, if anything, he want’s to do with this group.
“We’ve got 5 games before the break, so excited to see JT, getting here and getting in our lineup (against Boston), to see what we can do before the 4 Nations break,” mentioned Drury. Again, I’m always open to thoughts and suggestions and exploring ways on how we can be better and we’ll continue to do so up until the break and as we head into the deadline.”
After the 4-Nations pause, the Rangers will have seven games to make a strong push for the playoffs leading up to the trade deadline. They’ll play an eighth game on the March 8 deadline itself.
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