Rangers Captain Gets Promising Injury Update

New York Rangers fans can breathe a sigh of relief, with a key center's status receiving some encouraging clarification after an injury sustained in practice.

Mar 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (8) clears the puck against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

At practice ahead of the New York Rangers' back-to-back preseason Game 4 against the New York Islanders, Miller went lunging to save a puck and came up favoriting his leg. Clearly in pain, he skated off the ice and headed for the locker room.

At the conclusion of practice, Rangers new head coach Mike Sullivan told the media at the time that he did not have an update on Miller but that the center was being evaluated. Obviously, a captain sustaining an injury in practice the same day as a preseason game is not ideal. However, it did give the media a chance to follow up on Miller's status before puck drop.

As such, it has since been learned that Miller's injury is not believed to be significant and that he will likely see action in practice the day following the game against the Islanders.

Told that J.T. Miller has a good chance to practice tomorrow after leaving the ice today with a lower body issue. Not believed to be significant.

— Larry Brooks (@NYP_Brooksie) September 29, 2025

While this is good news for the Rangers, the same cannot be said for the Florida Panthers. Their captain has since been ruled out for seven to nine months — Aleksander Barkov sustained injuries to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL).

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

Mar 22, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (8) skates against the Vancouver Canucks during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Entering play against the Islanders, the Rangers had a 1-2 record in preseason play with a 5-3 win in the preseason opener against the Devils and losses to the Boston Bruins and the Islanders (Sept. 25).

The preseason 5-4 loss against the Islanders saw Miller wear the C on his sweater for the first time and tally one goal and a TOI of 21:21.

After returning to the Rangers in Jan., Miller finished his partial stint back with 32 games played, 13 goals, 22 assists for 35 points featuring an average of 1.09 points per game, which was up from the 0.88 points per game he registered in Vancouver. On the whole, he had 70 points in 72 games.

As of press time, the 32 year old has not seen action in the ongoing preseason game against fellow-city foe of the Islanders. It's expected Sullivan will allow Miller to rest from the vents of practice and have him return to play at practice on Tuesday.

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