NY Rangers Naming J.T. Miller as Their 29th Captain Triggers Mixed Reactions from NHL Fans

The New York Rangers have announced J.T. Miller as their 29th captain, which sees him succeed Jacob Trouba as the new leader of the team.

NY Rangers Naming J.T. Miller as Their 29th Captain Triggers Mixed Reactions from NHL Fans

J.T. Miller (Image via X/@NHL)

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The New York Rangers on Tuesday made a massive announcement. The team named forward J.T. Miller as the new captain of the team. This development trigged some mixed reaction from the NHL fans on social media.

Miller was heavily under the spotlight for his off-field reasons during the 2024-25 season. His absence from the Vancouver Canucks would spark some concern regarding his well being.

There were also reports of him having some tensions with Elias Pettersson. With the Rangers suffering a massive slump in form in the middle of the season, they would bring in Miller through a trade.

This development also came after the Rangers let go of captain Jacob Trouba. In the summer before the season, the team tried to trade him to the Detroit Red Wings. However, he blocked off that move and remained with the Rangers.

In December, the defenseman was traded away to the Anaheim Ducks. This left the New York side without a captain for the remainder of the season.

On Tuesday, the Rangers finally announced their next captain. The team named Miller as the 29th captain of the franchise and have given him the responsibility to lead the side in his 2nd stint with the team. Meanwhile, Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, and Vincent Trocheck will serve as the alternate captains for the team.

Miller was selected as the 15th overall in the first round of the 2011 NHL draft by the Rangers. He would make his NHL debut in 2013 and would remain with the team until February 2018. He was then traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent 16 months before joining the Canucks in a trade.

Social media reacts to J.T. Miller being named NY Rangers captain

J.T. Miller will be wearing the Captain’s ‘C’ on his shirt for the New York Rangers going forward. He succeeds Jacob Trouba and is now the 29th player to be named as the captain of the Rangers.

J.T. Miller
J.T. Miller (Image via NY Rangers Insider)

His selection sparked some mixed reactions on social media. While some celebrated this and backed him, there were some who were not pleased. Some expressed that center player Vincent Trocheck should have been given this role instead of Miller.

Check out some of the fan reactions from X regarding this development below:

With the appointment of Miller as the captain, the Boston Bruins and the San Jose Sharks are the only teams without a captain at the moment. The Bruins traded away their captain, Brad Marchand, last season.

Meanwhile, Logan Couture, who was the captain of the Sharks, announced his retirement from the NHL in 2025. Though he is listed as an active player, he has not played in the league since January 2024 due to his osteitis pubis injury.

Rangers rookie backs team’s decision to appoint J.T. Miller as captain

J.T. Miller’s appointment as the captain of the New York Rangers has sparked several discussions. Rookie star Brennan Othmann has backed this decision and expressed that he wants to be a player like him in the upcoming years.

J.T. Miller
J.T. Miller (Image via Canucks Army)

While speaking with the reporters, the 22-year-old also claimed that every team in the NHL wants to have a guy like Miller on their team and praised his new captain.

I think it’s great. J.T. is the type player I look up to. That’s the type player I can see myself playing like in a few years. Heavy, physical, every team knows he’s on the ice at all times. You have to aware when he’s out there, and he leads by example. I think every single team in the NHL would want a guy like J.T. on his team.

Brennan Othmann said

Last season, Miller had 70 points (22 goals and 48 assists) from 72 games. Out of these, he scored 35 points (13 goals and 22 assists) while playing for the Rangers.

Following a 12-4-1 start, the Rangers finished with a 39-36-7 record and missed the playoffs as they finished 5th. This led to the team parting ways with head coach Peter Laviolette. The team would be hoping for a much positive season this time out.

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