Last Week The NY Rangers Brought Back An Old Friend, Requiring JT Miller From Vancouver. Will This Move to Help Them Springboard Into A Playoff Spot?
This has been an extremely turbulent, frustrating, and surprising season for the NY Rangers. Coming off the Presidents Trophy last season and being two wins shy of the Stanley Cup Finals, this year brought great expectations. Yet this year has been the total opposite with long losing streaks and being at the bottom of the standings.
The turbulence could be felt beginning this off-season. Rangers general manager Chris Drury traded veteran and team leader Barclay Goodrow. At the time, Goodrow had a no-move clause and didn’t want to be dealt anywhere. Drury, looking to find salary cap relief decided to put Goodrow on waivers. This eventually forced the player’s hand. This did not sit well in the locker room.
Making matters worse, a main topic last off-season was Drury also looking to move the team captain, Jacob Trouba. Trouba was not traded before the season. However, Drury did finally move the defensemen to Anaheim a few weeks ago. This also created a major void in the dressing room.
With a subsequent trade of former top draft pick Kaapo Kakko to Seattle too, the team was a mess. Drury was now in an uncomfortable decision. Do you blow up the team and just look to rebuild for the future? Do you make more trades in hopes the team rebounds in the second half?
The answer may have been answered last week. Long rumored to be dealt away from the Vancouver Canucks, it was well-known the Rangers wanted to bring Miller back home. Miller started his career with the Rangers but, as a young player, was traded to Tampa Bay back in 2017. From there, Miller blossomed into an NHL star, even being voted 11th in league MVP voting last year. The question remained: would it make sense now to bring Miller back into the fold?
Drury answered that question last week when he traded oft-injured center Filip Chytil, promising minor league defenseman Victor Mancini, and a protected 2025 1st round pick to Vancouver. In return, The Rangers received Miller, plus two defensemen, Eric Brannstrom and collegian Jackson Dorrington.
The thought was in bringing Miller back; the Rangers still had time to make a playoff push and get into the dance. Currently, the Rangers are on the outside looking in, not even being in a wild card position.The one thing the team does have and will have at the March 7th trade deadline is cap space. If the team starts moving up the standings, there’s no doubt Drury will make more moves.
How do I analyze this trade? Acquiring Miller, despite the fact he is 32 years old, is a no-brainer. He has about five years left on a cap-friendly eight million-per-year contract. He brings a tough, physical presence to the game, something the Rangers are seriously lacking. He has blossomed into an elite scorer as well. In fact, in just two games for the Rangers this year, he already has four points. His impact on the team is already noticeable, hopefully not too late to save the season.
I did not like giving up on Mancini, as I feel after seeing him in a few games this year, the tall skating D-man will be a future top-four defenseman on any team. Giving up a first-rounder, albeit protected for the 2025 draft, is not a big deal to me. The Rangers currently have their last 3 top picks either in the minors or college, so losing one top pick to me is not important.
Losing Chytil is disappointing, as when he’s healthy and in the lineup, he can be a really good number-two center. The key words are “when healthy.” Sadly, Chytil has a history of concussions, and one more hit to the head could end his career. It’s a risk to move him at 25, but it is a risk you have to take.
Acquiring Brainstorm is just adding a depth defenseman. The Rangers could use him if they suffer any injuries on the blue line. Dorrington is still in college and is a few years away. There’s no way to know if he even makes the team one day.
Overall, I like the Miller trade, as the team needed a spark. There is too much talent on the current roster for them not to make the postseason. Sadly, many veteran players are simply not having good years. The addition of Miller could be the panacea the team needs.
Full disclosure: I met JT Miller years ago, back in 2013, at a NY Rangers charity event. As we spoke, we learned we had something unique in common. Oddly enough, we both had cats as pets that we had named after former Ranger Alexei Kovalev! This is the stuff you don’t get to read about in most columns. For this reason, having JT Miller back with the Rangers is the cats meow! Maybe he leads them back into the playoffs this year as well! I will be writing a subsequent column in the weeks ahead to see what the Rangers may still do as we reach the trade deadline.
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