The New York Rangers have announced that former Vancouver Canucks centre J.T. Miller will be their next team captain.

Miller becomes the 29th captain in Rangers history, joining names like Phil Esposito, Brian Leetch, Jaromir Jagr and Mark Messier to have the red and white ‘C’ on their jersey. Miller takes over the role from Jacob Trouba, who was captain from the 2021-22 season until 2024 when he was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in December 2024.

“We’re pleased to announce J.T. Miller as the new captain of the New York Rangers,” said Rangers president Chris Drury in a statement announcing the captaincy. “Since his arrival last season, J.T. immediately became a leader for our group and exemplifies how we want to conduct ourselves both on and off the ice. Congratulations to J.T. and his entire family on an incredibly meaningful achievement and we’re confident he will continue to represent our organization with class, commitment, and integrity.”

While Miller was never captain with the Canucks, as that role was held by Bo Horvat and Quinn Hughes during his six-season tenure with the team, he was an alternate captain from the 2021-22 season until he was traded in January 2025.

Miller was traded from the Canucks to the Rangers due to a well-documented feud with center Elias Pettersson during the 2024-25 season. While the reason behind the disagreement has never been confirmed, it created a divide between the team and became very clear that at least one of the players needed to go in order for the team to get past the issue. While both players were shopped, Miller was eventually the one to be moved, going to New York with Erik Brannstrom and Jackson Dorrington in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a 2025 first-round pick.

Miller had another solid season in 2024-25, finishing the year with 22 goals and 48 assists for 70 points in 72 games with the Canucks and Rangers. He was a bit behind that pace while dealing with the off-ice issues in Vancouver, as he had nine goals and 35 points in 40 games there, but he produced the exact same point total after he was dealt to New York with 13 goals and 35 points, this time coming in 32 games.