The headlines don't look great.
Neither do the highlights. Or, rather, the low-lights.
After J.T. Miller looked like he gave up playing defense in a viral clip that led to a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, hockey fans from New York to Vancouver ripped into the Rangers captain, who is off to a horrendous start in the Big Apple.
"New York Rangers Regret Making Former Vancouver Canucks Star JT Miller Captain After What's Happened," wrote Canucks Daily.
"J.T. Miller Is Dragging The Rangers Down And Everyone Sees It," wrote Blue Line Station.
"9 Vancouver Canucks Players Are Outscoring J.T. Miller Right Now," wrote Daily Hive Vancouver.
Even Miller agrees he's been a mess so far this season.
"At some point you look in the mirror," he told reporters after the Rangers lost 3-2 to the Golden Knights. "Speaking on behalf of myself, I certainly expect a hell of a lot more production than what I have."
Rangers' Penalty-Kill Struggles And J.T. Miller's Harsh Criticism Of Himself Headline Loss To Golden Knights The New York <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> started their three-game road trip on a sour note, losing 3-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
It's been less than a year since Miller was traded to the Rangers. But the verdict is in: the Canucks appear to have made the right decision in pushing Miller — not Elias Pettersson — out the door in the midst of last year's drama-filled season.
Since the trade, which saw Miller traded to the Rangers on Jan. 31 in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a first-round pick, both teams have obviously struggled. Neither made the playoffs last year. And with the NHL at the quarter mark of this season, neither is currently in a playoff spot.
That being said, Miller has struggled far more than Pettersson has.
After 21 games, Miller has four goals and is sixth on the Rangers in scoring with 10 points. It is his worst per-game production since 2014-15. Pettersson, who had the second-worst season of his career last year, meanwhile has rebounded with six goals and 19 points in 21 games. Only Quinn Hughes has produced more.
"I’ve never really gauged my game on points," Miller told reporters. "Typically, when I bring my game, the points come. That being said, this year, it seems like nothing’s really going in the net… So it’s making me frustrated. It’s hard to control that."
It's not just Miller who is feeling frustrated.
The Rangers brought in the 35-year-old veteran last year to help turn around a season that went off the rails. This year, they went one step further and named him captain in hopes of changing their losing culture. Miller even created T-shirts that said "No BS."
But as many have pointed out, in the game against Vegas it was Miller who brought "The Most BS Effort Ever Shown On A Hockey Rink."
For Canucks fans, this has to be a relief. After all, the debate last season was over whether the team should part ways with Miller or Pettersson. At the time, you could have made the argument that both needed to be gone. But in choosing Miller over Pettersson, the Canucks may have dodged a bullet.
As many have pointed out, it's not just Pettersson who looks like a different player now that Miller is not around.
Looking At How These 5 New Canucks Have Performed In The First Quarter Of 2025–26Here's how these 5 new Canucks have performed so far throughout 2025-26. Kiefer Sherwood, who had 19 goals last season, has exploded out of the gates with 12 goals in 21 games. Brock Boeser, who had 25 goals last season, already has 8 goals in 19 games. And Conor Garland is on pace for a career-best 62 points.
Sure, the Canucks (9-10-2) have slightly worse record than the Rangers (10-9-2). But except for the weekly — if not daily — trade speculation surrounding Hughes, it's been mostly drama-free in Vancouver.
That's a lot more than what the Rangers can say.
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