Ahead of a stretch when the Rangers roster could keep changing before the trade deadline, they also lost their captain again.
J.T. Miller is going on injured reserve with an upper-body injury that’s different from the one that forced him to miss nine games across two separate stretches earlier this season, according to The Post’s Mollie Walker. It marks Miller’s second stint on injured reserve during the 2024-25 campaign. He is required to spend a minimum of seven days on injured reserve before being eligible to return.
It’s unclear when the injury occurred during the Rangers’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Blue Jackets on Monday, with Miller skating all the way through overtime, logging 19:23 of ice time, collecting an assist and even talking with reporters afterward. But the latest injury continues a roller coaster of a season filled with disappointment in his first full year as Blueshirts captain, with Miller recording just 14 goals and 38 points two campaigns removed from topping the 100-point mark.
When Miller returns, the Rangers’ roster could look entirely different. That’s the reality they’re staring down over the next two-plus days ahead of the Friday deadline. The Letter 2.0 from president and general manager Chris Drury in January signaled a retool. Deals involving Carson Soucy (to the Islanders) and Artemi Panarin (to the Kings) were the first dominoes to fall. And others, including center Vincent Trocheck, could soon follow.
Miller, along with most of the other Rangers, has struggled this season, though he — along with Mika Zibanejad and rookie Gabe Perreault — found some traction recently as the Blueshirts first line. They fueled the comeback Monday, turning a four-goal deficit at the start of the third period into a point, but the result ensured that, as of Wednesday, the Rangers have gone 100 days since their last regulation win at the Garden on Nov. 24 with booing from disgruntled fans only continuing.
Rangers forward J.T. Miller (8) skates against the Blue Jackets on March 2, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images
“The momentum shifted back in the second period,” Miller said Monday when asked about the Rangers comeback. “We had a great start, drew a penalty, scored on the power play and it’s funny how the game works. All of a sudden, it’s 3-0, they’re booing again and it’s hard, so it’s a roller coaster of emotions sometimes.”
The high point of Miller’s season occurred on the international stage away from the Rangers, when he won a gold medal with Team USA in Milan last month as a key piece of a penalty-kill unit — along with Trocheck — that didn’t surrender a goal throughout the entire Winter Olympics. He was honored alongside the other Rangers representatives during their Garden return Thursday after the break ended. And although the Blueshirts have picked up four points in the three games since their season resumed, only one of those matches turned into a win.
Miller has collected just four goals since the calendar flipped to 2026 and he made his return to the lineup from injured reserve — a seven-game absence — Jan. 8. He acknowledged at the time that he needed “to be careful” after sustaining the same injury twice in a month after trying to get back as soon as he could. A hit during a win over the Flyers on Dec. 20 aggravated the injury and prompted the second IR stint.
And after just 16 games, the Rangers will be forced to adjust again. The status of Miller, who also sustained a noncontact lower-body injury during training camp before recovering in time for the opener, becomes just the latest question overshadowing anything that transpires during their game Thursday against the Maple Leafs and the 21 others that’ll follow. When could Trocheck get traded? How concerning are Adam Fox’s comments about wanting to wait until after the season to discuss whether he wants to remain with the Blueshirts through their retool? Who else could get moved before 3 p.m. Friday arrives and the dust from the deadline settles?
“It’s part of the business,” defenseman Will Borgen said Monday of the deadline reality. “We all know what happens every year. When you’re not looking to be in the playoffs, it happens. It’s part of the job. It stinks, but whatever happens, happens.”
Rangers center J.T. Miller skates behind the net against the Penguins. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
In a season where just about nothing has gone right for the Blueshirts and their captain, Tuesday only reaffirmed that.