Why Playing Center Unlocks ‘Best Version’ of J.T. Miller for Rangers
It’s been a frustrating season to say the least for J.T. Miller and the New York Rangers. But the team and its captain are doing their best to close out on a bright note with strong play down the stretch.
Miller’s 0.77 point-per-game rate is the worst of his career since 2018-19, when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. With 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 61 games, Miller’s production is a far cry from his career-high 37 goals and 103 points just two seasons ago with the Vancouver Canucks.
Not surprisingly, part of the fallout is that the Rangers reside in last place in the Eastern Conference, and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season.
But a shift back to Miller’s preferred center position helped spark him amid a bit of a Rangers resurgence recently. He scored only his fifth power-play goal of the season, and second on home ice, in New York’s 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
The Rangers seek their fourth consecutive victory when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
J.T. Miller found a home centering Rangers’ 3rd line
It can be humbling for a player with Miller’s status and skill level to be dropped to the third line. But playing center is where he feels most comfortable, even though the Rangers captain played wing often this season and in years past.
“It feels good to be back in the middle,” Miller said Wednesday after practice. “I definitely am playing better at center. I think I’m more engaged. I think I’m a better version of myself than at wing, but there are scenarios where you do what’s best for the team.”
Miller currently centers a line with Tye Kartye on his left and veteran journeyman Conor Sheary on right wing. The three play similar straight-ahead physical styles, and mesh nicely.
Miller has 13 points in 13 games since he returned from the helping the United States win gold at the Milan-Cortina Olympics — he also missed two weeks with an upper-body injury — and brings a modest four-game point streak into the game against the Canadiens.
“I think we all think the same way,” Miller said of he and his linemates “We forecheck well. We’re close to each other all the time. We create our offense simply. Get pucks low to high and go to the net and if you do that all night long and sometimes you get some bounces.
“Fun guys to play with. We think a lot alike, and I think it stems from hard work and getting in the right spots.”
Mike Sullivan: Playing J.T. Miller at center helps him ‘capture his very best game’
There are unintended consequences of Miller playing that far down the Rangers’ lineup, but coach Mike Sullivan admitted the 33-year-old is at his best playing center.
“We’re trying to help J.T. capture his very best game,” Sullivan explained Wednesday. “That’s important to us for a lot of reasons.”
Miller had been playing wing, just as Mika Zibanejad has played wing at points, to open up a spot at center to help young players like Noah Laba develop. Miller’s move from top-six wing to 3C was a reaction to Laba’s lower-body injury, which sidelined the rookie five games
Since returning, Laba’s played on the fourth line, which could hinder his growth as a player in the NHL.
“We’ve had this running conversation all year long, whether we play J.T. in the middle and play Mika, J.T. and [Vincent Trocheck] up the middle or do we play them together?” Sullivan said. “The reality is because of the injuries … it really didn’t leave us a lot of options.”
Playing alongside Miller is a boon to Kartye, who patterns his playstyle after the captain.
“He’s super strong. He puts guys on his back, and he makes plays from there,” Kartye said last month. “I’m getting used to playing with him in that sense and trying to give him some space, because he’ll hold off guys then make a play.”
Miller told Sullivan what he expressed to reporters earlier this week, that he is simply most comfortable at center. The results are borne out, even though Sullivan doesn’t think of Miller as a wing when he plays with Trocheck and/or Zibanejad. Miller’s 61.5 face-off win rate, among the best in the League, is part of that reason.
“He shared his experiences with being in the middle versus playing on the wing,” Sullivan said. “When he was playing with Mika for a fair amount or playing with ‘Troch,’ we felt they were interchangeable, because J.T. would end up down low sometimes and even though we would line up on the wing on some face-offs, he ended up playing center half the time and vice versa.”
