Why surging Rangers should move on from J.T. Miller trade interest, upgrade lineup elsewhere

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers
Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

With every productive performance in 2025, the New York Rangers move further away from their disastrous end to last year — and from the need for urgent and significant changes to their roster.

New York’s 5-0 rout of the visiting Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, one of its most impressive performances of the season, might have served as the final argument to general manager Chris Drury to let things breathe. That tearing up or reworking the lineup via major trades isn’t just unnecessary, it would be counterproductive.

“Our guys were just really focused. I thought the work was really good,” coach Peter Laviolette said after his team moved to 7-1-3 in January with a thorough dismantling of the Senators, who came in on a 5-0-1 roll and ahead of the Rangers in the Eastern Conference standings.

The score could have been even more lopsided, given that the Rangers had two goals waved off due to successful offside challenges by the Senators. The Blueshirts look like a completely different team than the one that crashed with a 4-15-0 record to close 2024.

Related: Rangers coach likes ‘way we hung together’ to stand up for Igor Shesterkin in scrum with Senators

Rangers roster still has needs that must be addressed

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

Depth, physicality, commitment to defense and doing the little things now course through the lineup, one that has stayed the same for five straight games. Laviolette’s team has finally found its groove after an ugly, forgettable first half of the season.

In doing so, it seems as if a blockbuster acquisition such as Vancouver Canucks star center J.T. Miller — who reportedly was set to be traded to the Rangers this past weekend, only to have the deal fall apart — might no longer be the way to go.

Amidst the acrimony, frustration and loss of confidence that was apparent in the dressing room and on the ice throughout the first half of 2024-25, the Rangers seemingly left Drury with little choice but to shake things up and move the franchise in a new direction. While the idea of adding Miller is still enticing — and could still happen in the near future — breaking up the group after such an impressive effort against Ottawa (and since the New Year) less likely.

“I thought everyone was good tonight,” Laviolette said. “The balance of the four lines and six defenseman, and (Igor Shesterkin) was sharp. It was a real good team win.”

Though the Rangers might not require an extreme makeover anymore, that doesn’t mean key upgrades won’t be necessary to help the Rangers playoff push. There’s no question that the top-six group of forwards still needs a boost, specifically on the right side of Mika Zibanejad’s line.

Zibanejad’s game has continued to trend upward and young left wing Will Cuylle keeps playing well, scoring for the second straight game against the Senators. Though versatile veteran Reilly Smith has performed well on the unit during the club’s resurgence, the Rangers probably need to go through what’s become an annual rite of spring for Drury: Targeting a right wing who can play with Zibanejad.

If the GM is still in big-game hunting mode, maybe he jumps the market for someone like Alex Tuch, the Buffalo Sabres wing who uses his 6-foot-4, 219-pound frame to attack the net and score from in close. Tuch, less than two seasons removed from a 36-goal, 79-point performance, would also stop the revolving door at right wing for at least another season, as he’s signed through 2025-26 at a reasonable salary-cap hit of $4.7 million. He plays with energy and edge and isn’t afraid to come to the aid of teammates.

Tuch has 15 goals and 34 points in 47 games this season.

The Rangers also have to reinforce their blue line. Their improved defense has benefited greatly from the arrival of right-side defenseman Will Borgen in last month’s Kaapo Kakko trade with the Seattle Kraken. Borgen’s physical, old-school game has played a big role in helping to steady the back end and keep the ice in front of Shesterkin clear. The Blueshirts could use a similar influence on the left side.

Could Drury go after someone like the Detroit Red Wings’ Ben Chiarot, like Borgen a big, strong defender who would add more size and edge, if Detroit’s struggles continue? With a contract that exactly mirrors Tuch’s — a $4.7 million cap hit through next season — Chiarot could be the replacement for Ryan Lindgren, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1 and probably won’t be back on Broadway.

Like Tuch, the 6-4, 224-pound Chiarot wouldn’t come cheaply in a trade, though the Rangers having significant cap space at the deadline and next season works in their favor if they’re interested in acquiring one or both players. That Drury recently attempted to pull off a major move should indicate that he remains determined to bolster his roster in a big way, which should put players like Tuch and Chiarot in his sights — regardless of how well New York is playing now.

Related: Rangers’ Matt Rempe making most of latest opportunity, scores big goal against Senators

Enhancing Rangers newfound grit should be Chris Drury’s focus

NHL: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images

There are numerous reasons for the Rangers’ rebound, one of them being an upgraded physical dimension, brought consistently by Borgen, Cuylle and the fourth line of Sam Carrick, Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe. The Rangers went toe-to-toe against a pair of big, tough teams in their past two games in the Montreal Canadiens and Senators, and emerged with three of a possible four points. In both contests, the Blueshirts matched their opponents in numerous scrums and fights that demonstrated a newfound commitment to each other, along with the ability to compete in those kinds of games.

Tuch and Chiarot would only add to that emerging side of the Rangers’ identity. It’s something that’s often been absent and ultimately cost the Rangers in recent playoff series, when they were eliminated by the more physical Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022 and Florida Panthers in 2024. They would help solidify the lineup next season as well.

Miller remains a tempting target. The overall package of elite offensive ability, face-off prowess, physical play and burning intensity to win is difficult to ignore, even if Miller is known to ruffle feathers in the dressing room.

Yet acquiring him might not be a fit from a financial or roster construction standpoint. Adding Miller to the top six, assuming that third-line center Filip Chytil would be part of the return to the Canucks, would push Zibanejad down to the third unit. Paying a third-line player $8.5 million per season isn’t a recipe for long-term competitiveness in a salary-capped league.

With Vancouver supposedly turning down a Zibanejad-for-Miller trade already, the Rangers would have a serious glut of money and talent down the middle. Miller’s cap hit is $8 million through 2029-30, the same contract length as Zibanejad’s, and Vincent Trocheck makes $5.625 million through 2028-29. That’s $22.5 million a year for three centers. Also, Zibanejad and Trocheck each has a no-move clause in his contract.

It appears the best decision Drury can make now is to improve his team not by blowing it all up — the only option he appeared to have just several weeks ago — but by enhancing this suddenly rising group with bold but shrewd additions. The GM can weaponize what’s expected to be around $23 million in deadline cap space, a big advantage over other potential playoff teams that won’t have nearly that much room to maneuver.

Drury wasn’t going to wait for the trade deadline to obtain Miller (and again, he still might do that), and maybe he doesn’t need to wait on moving on players like Tuch or Chiarot, if in fact they’re available now. With the Rangers finally looking like a contender again, the need for desperate personnel measures appears to be steadily abating.

Tom grew up a New York Rangers fan and general fan of the NHL in White Plains, NY, and ... More about Tom Castro
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