The 2025-26 NHL season has come to an end for the New York Rangers—and most fans would probably add “fortunately” to the start of that sentence. In many ways, the Blueshirts have nothing to show for it. Despite finishing with the third-worst record in the league, the Rangers will still select fifth overall in the upcoming Draft.
Regardless, fans aren’t as concerned about the top-five pick their team owns as they are about the direction of the organization. Namely, plenty of skepticism still surrounds J.T. Miller, the Rangers’ captain. According to a fan survey conducted by The Athletic, New York’s decision to hand the ‘C’ to Miller doesn’t look any better after his first full season back at Madison Square Garden.
Miller left a bad impression in his first year as team captain. Over 2,000 fans participated in the survey, yet virtually none approved of his debut season wearing the ‘C’. According to the results, only 3.1% gave him a grade of A or B. Meanwhile, 43% of fans gave him a D for his first year as captain, while 28.2% remained in the middle, and the remaining 25.8% handed him the worst grade possible: an F.
Heavy scrutiny on Miller
The numbers reflect a common sentiment in New York throughout the season. Reading fans’ takes on social media painted a similar picture. Miller failed to meet expectations in his first season as skipper.
J.T. Miller in action for the NY Rangers.
There was no shortage of letdowns for fans in New York throughout the 2025-26 NHL campaign, but most would agree there was none bigger—or harder to comprehend—than Miller’s production and overall impact.
Miller named biggest letdown
In fact, another question in the survey asked which player was the most disappointing, and Miller won by a landslide. A whopping 77.3% of the votes went to the captain, who finished the year with 53 points (17 goals and 36 assists) in 68 games played.
Moreover, he posted the team’s worst plus/minus rating at minus-30. Needless to say, plus/minus can be a deceiving stat and isn’t always the most accurate way to evaluate a player. However, for someone who is supposed to represent the team’s culture, it certainly raises eyebrows around the Big Apple.
Miller vs New York
In the captain’s defense, Miller has been battling narratives ever since the Rangers traded for him in January 2025. Fans have often kicked him while he was down, and his mistakes tend to be exaggerated while his strengths are minimized.
When it comes to their opinion of him, Rangers fans are rarely rational. His 2025-26 campaign was indeed a rough one, but New York had already turned him into a scapegoat long before things went south.
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