Rangers’ J.T. Miller has ‘no disrespect’ for Canucks after commerce
For sure, it has been a busy 24 hours for J.T. Miller.
On Friday afternoon, about an hour earlier than he was set to take the ice with the Vancouver Canucks for his or her recreation towards the Dallas Stars, the centreman was dealt, together with two defencemen, to the New York Rangers in trade for Filip Chytil, a prospect, and a conditional first-rounder.
It was the tip of a protracted, drawn-out saga for Miller, who had been on the centre of commerce rumours each earlier than and after he signed his seven-year, $56 million contract in 2022. These rumours reached a fever-pitch this season, when a rumoured off-ice rift between himself and Elias Pettersson started to have an effect on the crew on-ice.
So, the 32-year-old will get a contemporary begin with the Rangers — the crew that drafted him fifteenth total again in 2011 — however is making it clear he feels no in poor health will in direction of the crew for which he performed practically six years.
“I’ve no disrespect to the Vancouver Canucks group. They’ve given me completely every thing,” Miller mentioned in an intermission interview with ESPN on Saturday, donning his new Rangers threads. “The help I’ve had over this complete 12 months, it has been a protracted 12 months. A possibility got here up the place I may grow to be a Ranger once more and clearly it is a particular factor to my household and I.”
In his first recreation again with the Rangers — 2,533 days after his final — Miller wasted no time in making an affect. He collected a cross within the slot from linemate Artemi Panarin and one-timed a rising shot previous Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman, tying the sport at 1-1 halfway into the interval.
Sporting No. 8 and beginning the sport on the crew’s high line, Miller was additionally with Rangers winger Mika Zibanejad.
“He’s an influence ahead that may play the sport exhausting,” Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette mentioned. “He can rating objectives and make performs. He’s acquired an edge to his recreation and performs totally different positions, so it’s an enormous piece.”
He spent components of six seasons in New York earlier than being dealt to Tampa Bay together with defenceman Ryan McDonagh on Feb. 26, 2018.
He wore No. 9 in Vancouver, however that was retired by the Rangers in February 2009 for former participant Andy Bathgate, a star through the Authentic Six period.
Miller was introduced in to assist bolster a Rangers’ lineup that’s struggled after profitable the Presidents’ Trophy a 12 months in the past and reaching the Jap Convention ultimate.
He had 9 objectives and 26 assists in 40 video games with Vancouver this season.
— With information from the Related Press
