It was not a good campaign for the New York Rangers in 2025-26 under new head coach Mike Sullivan, as they not only missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight year, but were also the NHL’s worst club on home ice, suffering a whopping seven shutouts alone at Madison Square Garden.
Multiple Rangers players underperformed, including captain JT Miller, who was in his first full year back with the club after being reacquired the previous season from the Vancouver Canucks.
In order for the Rangers to bounce back and have a chance at returning to the postseason next spring, it’s Miller who needs to step up his game.
New York Rangers Captain JT Miller Called Out For His 2025-26 Performance
According to a recent piece from SNY’s John Flanigan, Miller’s first full year back with the Rangers was a disappointment, and they’ll need nothing short of a bounce back performance from him if they are to return to the playoffs next spring.
“Miller’s first season as Rangers captain went about as poorly as it could’ve. With the ‘C’ now on his chest, it was his responsibility to lead the team back to contention, and they ended up failing miserably with a last place finish in the Eastern Conference,” he said.”
He continued:
“Miller was expected to miss the start of the season after suffering an injury in camp, but he decided to play through it without seeing any preseason action, and his production dipped. That became a trend for the majority of his campaign. The veteran put up just 53 total points (17G, 36 A) across 68 games. While those numbers aren’t exactly terrible on paper, they are certainly down for a top-performer who was expected to come in around the 70-80 point mark. For the Rangers to get back into contention, they’ll need much more from the man tasked with leading the charge.”
While Miller did help Team USA win the gold medal at the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, his performance in his first full campaign back with the Rangers wasn’t up to snuff. He’ll need to greatly improve his offensive output in 2026-27 to prove that his re-acquisition wasn’t a miscalculation on the part of the Rangers.
JT Miller’s Contract Was Recently Named One Of The Worst In The NHL
Earlier this offseason, Miller’s contract was included in a ranking of the 10 worst in the NHL by Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report.
“There was a time with the Vancouver Canucks when J.T. Miller was a big-time point producer and a defensive menace with his edgy play,” he said. “But the seven-year, $56 million extension he signed there aged poorly for a multitude of reasons on and off the ice. Now that he’s back with the New York Rangers, that’s up to them to figure that out.”
Miller, who began his career with the Rangers and has also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks, has tallied 277 goals with 485 assists in 939 career NHL games. He’s also tallied 12 goals with 44 assists in 91 career postseason games.
Rangers JT Miller Earns Scathing Callout For 2025-26 Performance