Rangers Place Captain on Injured Reserve

The New York Rangers' captain is headed to injured reserve.

Jan 19, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (8) passes the puck during the first period against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The New York Rangers have placed their captain J.T. Miller on injured reserve due to an upper-body injury.

His placement was revealed per the NHL Media site on March 3. Emily Kaplan of ESPN has reported per sources that the injury is suspected to have been sustained in the March 2, 5-4 OT loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Miller is in the midst of his first season as captain of the franchise. By being placed on IR, Miller is required to miss at least seven days — the Rangers have three games in that span against the Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers.

The Rangers have put J.T. Miller on injured reserve, per the NHL Media site.

— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) March 3, 2026

Miller recently played for Team USA in the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and assisted the Americans to their first gold medal since 1980. He has played in all three of the Rangers' games since returning from the Olympic break — the Ohio native was originally selected by the Rangers with the No. 15 overall pick in 2011. He has 747 points (274 goals, 473 assists) across his league career.

The captain and center got tangled up at the end of regulation in a net-front battle against the Blue Jackets with Erik Gudbranson. He skated through overtime, logged an assist and was available to the media following the conclusion of the matchup.

Rangers' J.T. Miller to Go Back on Injured Reserve

Miller previously missed time at two other points during the year. He also missed seven games while on IR from late December into early January. He has scored 14 goals and 38 points in 51 games for the Rangers this season, and has a minus-24 rating.

Feb 20, 2026; Milan, Italy; JT Miller (10) of the United States takes a shot on goal during the first period against Slovakia in a men's ice hockey semifinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Miller's absence will now force Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan to regroup his lines; Miller was alongside Mika Zibanejad and youngster Gabe Perreault on the top group.

Miller was named the 29th captain in franchise history Sept. 17. He was brought back to the Rangers in Jan. 2025 following his time as a member of the Vancouver Canucks.

Since being named captain, the Rangers have had an unfortunate year and are poised to miss the playoffs. General manager Chris Drury has announced the team is in a "retool" as the Rangers are currently at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with 54 points (23-29-8 overall record).

March 6, 3:00 p.m. EST marks the NHL trade deadline. The Rangers have already traded away star player Artemi Panarin and defenseman Carson Soucy this season. Recent comments from Vincent Trocheck have also indicated the center could be on his way out as well.

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