On Friday, the New York Rangers acquired center J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks in a trade.
Going to the Canucks was center Filip Chytil, defensive prospect Victor Mancini and a first-round pick. The pick is “top-13 protected for 2025” according to Vince Mercogliano (lohud.com), which means that if the Rangers finish within the top 13 draft spots for the upcoming draft, the pick becomes unprotected for 2026.
The Rangers also acquired defenseman Erik Brannstrom and defensive prospect Jackson Dorrington from Vancouver.
Thank you for all the memories over the years.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 1, 2025
Best of luck in Vancouver, Fil! pic.twitter.com/quCuT6sY85
The trade reunites Miller with the Rangers, the team that drafted him 15th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft, and that he played six seasons with from 2012-2018. Miller played in 341 games with the Rangers and was a plus-18 with 172 points and played in 40 playoff games where he notched 16 points.
Last season was Miller’s best season as a professional. He scored 37 goals and 66 assists (103 points) in 81 games during 2023-24, which was more than every Ranger last season except for Artemi Panarin who had 120 points in 82 games.
This season, Miller has scored 35 points in 40 games which is more than every Ranger except for Panarin and Adam Fox.
Brannstrom is a mobile defenseman who has played seven years in the NHL. During those seven seasons, Brannstrom has scored 10 goals and 67 assists (77 points) in 294 games.
Dorrington is a stay-at-home defenseman who uses his six-foot-two frame to his advantage. He has 10 points in 23 games for Northeastern University this year.
Chytil was drafted by the Rangers in the first round, 21st overall, of the 2018 NHL Draft and spent eight seasons with the Rangers. He scored 164 points in 378 games played. However, this year he had just 20 points in 41 games. It’s safe to say the Rangers got a big upgrade at the center position by adding Miller in place of Chytil.
The Rangers currently sit five points out of the second wild card spot in the East.
