New York Rangers fans were surprised to learn J.T. Miller would be replacing Gabriel Perreault on the top power play unit. However, after listening to Mike Sullivan and his brief, yet clear explanation, they might understand where New York’s latest coaching decision in the NHL season is coming from.
“[Miller] has been a big part of the success that this power play has enjoyed. I mean, it’s top 10 in the league,” Sullivan cleared the air on the controversy around Perreault’s demotion to the second unit, via New York Post.
With Miller on the top unit, the Rangers maintained their strong form on the man-advantage. New York has now scored a power play-goal in five of its last six outings in the 2025-26 NHL season. However, it was actually Perreault’s—who assisted Noah Laba—second unit that found the back of the net during the 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild.
Not all Rangers fans liked the decision
The decision to drop Perreault out of the top power play line made much noise in New York City. The former first-round pick has been playing the best hockey of his NHL career, and many believed a demotion was uncalled for.
Sullivan didn’t beat around the bush, he addressed the noise, and the numbers may prove his decision right. Meanwhile, Miller is standing clear of the controversy. Instead, Miller opened up about the feeling within Sullivan’s team.
The numbers behind NY Rangers’ power play
The 2025-26 NHL campaign is trending to be a tale of two stories for the Broadway Blueshirts. Unfortunately, the bad may far outweigh the good side of it. Still, there’s no reason for New York not to be proud about its latest performances. On that note, the power play coming to life is certainly a reason for jubilation in “The Big Apple”.
The Rangers’ 24.2 power play percentage (PP%) ranks 7th in the NHL. Sullivan and the rest of the team would like to see a bit more consistency out of the special teams, especially when it comes to the production at home. It should come as no surprise as the Rangers have struggled dearly at Madison Square Garden—where they are 9-15-6—but the power play on home games has operated at a 17.6 success rate (22nd in the league). Meanwhile, New York boasts a top 3 power play on the road (29.7 PP%).
Given the way recent years have gone for the Blueshirts, there is no shortage of issues that need fixing. It’s safe to say the power play is not among the main concerns. The debate may center around whether Miller or Perreault should play on the top unit, but the power-play goals keep coming. Thus, there’s no reason for New York to stress. With everything that’s wrong with the Rangers, making a big fuss about the power play would be tilting at windmills.
| POWER PLAY STATS | JT MILLER | GABE PERREAULT |
| GOALS | 4 | 2 |
| ASSISTS | 7 | 3 |
| POINTS | 11 | 5 |