New York Rangers report cards: Grading captains, including J.T. Miller
There were five letter-wearing members of the New York Rangers leadership group this season, led by J.T. Miller, who was named the 29th captain in franchise history at the start of training camp.
Vincent Trocheck was one of the alternates, and, like Miller, wore a letter for the first time with the Rangers. Adam Fox, Mika Zibanejad, and Artemi Panarin also reprised their roles as alternate captains. That is until the Rangers traded Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings in February.
Grouping members of the leadership core with our end-of-season report cards makes sense here, though Trocheck previously received his final analysis and grade in a separate article focused on players who could be traded this offseason.
So, after subtracting Panarin and Trocheck from our list, let’s get right to handing out grades for Miller, Fox, and Zibanejad.
J.T. Miller: C-
Talk about a dream that turned into a nightmare. Named captain in his first full season back with the Rangers after the January 2025 trade from the Vancouver Canucks, Miller played hurt much of the season, saw his production drop precipitously, and couldn’t rally his teammates when the Blueshirts sank to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. The 33-year-old wore the frustrations of it all on his face, and struggled containing his emotions on the ice and during postgame media sessions. He scored three goals in his first 17 games, and went 14 games without one from Jan. 28 through March 25. Despite an expected goal share of 51.78 percent, per Natural Stat Trick, Miller scored just 17 goals and tied for fourth on the Rangers with 53 points in 68 games. It was his least productive full season since 2018-19 with the Tampa Bay Lightning (47 points) and a far cry from his 37-goal, 103-point season just two years prior with the Canucks. He was minus-30 this season, and the Rangers were outscored 50-35 with him on the ice 5v5. Coach Mike Sullivan constantly praised him for his leadership and how much he cares. And Miller did score five game-winning goals, three of them in overtime. So, there’s that. But the bottom line is that his play on the ice largely helped bury the Rangers this season.
Adam Fox: B+
Let’s start here: Fox was on his way to earning an A or A- grade this season, but he missed 27 games. And the Rangers season cratered without him. So B+ seems a fair grade for the former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman. Fox tied Miller for fourth in scoring with 53 points, but did so in 55 games, averaging 0.96 points per game. The 28-year-old also tied Zibanejad for the team lead with 44 assists, and sparked the power play, when healthy, helping the Rangers finish fifth in the League (24.7 percent). New York out-chanced opponents by a whopping 532-363 with Fox on the ice 5v5, and he easily outdistanced all of his teammates with an impressive 58.63 percent expected goal share, per Natural Stat Trick. Still, there were frustrations for Fox, who didn’t land a spot on the United States Olympic team, missed far too many games, and appeared none too thrilled about the Rangers retool plan back in February.
Mika Zibanejad: A-
Zibanejad bounced back from a dismal 2024-25 campaign in a big way, leading the Rangers with 34 goals, 16 power-play goals, two shorties, 44 assists, and 78 points. He was engaged on both sides of the puck, and a consistent producer offensively during a season when the Rangers had their share of struggles scoring. Deservedly, Zibanejad swept the team’s postseason awards, winning the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award for the third time, and also being named team MVP and recipient of the Players’ Player Award. He became the first player to record a hat trick in the NHL Winter Classic and record five points in any outdoor NHL game, with a tour-de-force three-goals, two assists outing in a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Jan. 2 at loanDepot Park. He had one other hat trick, and really his only blemish was a minus-20 plus/minus mark this season.
