BOSTON — This is the infusion of iron and steel into the lineup the Rangers have needed for a very long time. This is the jagged-edged personality in the room that has been missing for ages.
The prodigal has returned in the midst of an unusually noisy and unruly season for the parties of both parts. J.T. Miller and the Rangers are back together again after an absence of nearly seven years, in which New York’s one-time, 15th-overall selection in the 2011 draft elevated his game and profile as he became one of the most impactful forwards in the league.
The trade completed Friday night — in which GM Chris Drury sent Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a top-13 protected 2025 first-rounder in exchange for Miller, lefty defenseman Erik Brannstrom and Northeastern lefty defenseman Jackson Dorrington — not only resets the Blueshirts for the 2025 playoff drive but also reimagines the team’s composition over the immediate future.
Forget the standings at the moment. The Rangers entered the season searching for the additional six wins in the playoffs that eluded them in 2022, when they were beaten up by the Lightning in the conference final, and in 2024, when they were beaten up by the Panthers in the conference final.
