Rangers vs. Blue Jackets: What is the Point of J.T. Miller?
Ugly loss, better draft odds, and growing concerns about J.T. Miller—while Lafrenière keeps giving the Rangers something to believe in.
- If the New York Rangers had found some way to win that game, it would have been one of those worst-case-scenario games that Joe has been describing: one where the Rangers would get outplayed but find a way to eek out a win mostly on the back of Igor Shesterkin. So, in that sense, a 6-3 final is just want we want right now—a regulation loss in a game they deserved to lose.
- Let's start here:
The New York Rangers in March:
— Snark Messier (@SnarkMessier) March 20, 2026
• With J.T. Miller: 1-3-1, Outscored 23-15.
• Without J.T. Miller: 4-1-0, Outscored Teams 25-13.
Numbers don’t lie. #NYR
- Miller was largely responsible for both Blue Jackets goals in the third period. On the first, he goes for a line change with the puck barely outside of the Rangers blueline and without his team clearly having possession. Mika Zibanejad comes on the ice for him, but never has enough time to get into the play before the puck is in the back of the net. Preceding the empty net goal, Miller carelessly fires the puck around the boards in the offensive zone and the Rangers never clearly establish possession before they fumbled it to the Blue Jackets and Adam Fantilli sealed the deal.
- Dave Maloney hinted last night that he still believes J.T. Miller is hurt. Again, I repeat: I hope so.
- It's not just that Miller isn't good. It's that he seems actively to make the team worse when they're forcing him into the lineup. My preference is for him to be off this team completely, but I'm not going to get that any time soon. But between the groin injury that we're all certain he suffered in the preseason that we saw linger well into the regular season, to the upper-body injury he just recently suffered, to the obvious fact that the team looks and plays worse with him on the ice, I don't understand why he's not being stashed on the IR for the rest of the year.
