Rangers captain making ‘progress,’ takes next step in injury return
Though he misses his fourth straight game, when the New York Rangers host the Calgary Flames on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, J.T. Miller took another step in his recovery from an upper-body injury.
The Rangers captain took part in the optional morning skate, his first time on the ice with teammates since landing on injured reserve last week.
When asked after the skate how Miller is progressing, coach Mike Sullivan responded, “Pretty well.”
“He’s had a number of skates on his own with our skills guys. He joined the group today. Obviously, it suggests progress.”
Asked how long before Miller’s ready for contact, Sullivan replied, “We’ll take each day as it comes, but I would anticipate sooner than later.”
The exact nature of the injury is unknown, though it’s unrelated to a previous upper-body injury that sidelined Miller for seven games from Dec. 21 to Jan. 5.
After helping the United States win the gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, Miller played the first three games with the Rangers coming out of the break, and had two assists.
Miller played the entirety of New York’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 2. He logged 19:23 TOI and assisted on Will Borgen’s goal in the third period, when the Rangers erased a four-goal deficit to force overtime. Miller spoke with reporters after the game and appeared none the worse for wear.
The next day, the Rangers placed Miller on IR.
It’s been a struggle for Miller this season, beginning with a nagging lower-body injury at the start of the season. All told, the 32-year-old forward is fifth on the Rangers with 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 51 games. He’s also a team-worst minus-24.
The Rangers are 3-1-2 since the break, and come off a rousing 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. However, the Rangers (25-20-8) are last in the Eastern Conference and on their way to missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second season in a row.
