J.T. Miller Has To Put Spirit Back Into The Blueshirts

Not long after the Rangers packed their gear and went golfing, snorkeling or whatever elsehey do with their petty cash, Joe Micheletti said something not so petty about the team he'd left as an MSG Networks analyst.

Asked by an interviewer to pinpoint the prime Blueshirt failing during 2024-25, Micheletti wasted no time with the answer.

"Spirit." Or, the team-wide lack of same. As any viewer would confirm, on a "Spirit Meter," the 2024-25 Rangers would come out with a Minus-The-Radical-50 rating. Translated to Brooklyn English it comes out to Ugh! and UGH!

As Chris Drury has so happily proven, it's easy to find a defenseman, but go out and discover "Spirit." (He won't find it at Trader Joe's.)

Besides, Brad Marchand is already taken.

If anyone on the New York roster has it in him to lift the Blueshirts' spirit level above and beyond the "Yay,Team" level, it's J.T. Miller.

With at least four more years left on his contract and an $8 million cap hit, the Vancouver Canucks emigrant just might be the spirit guy. (Repeat: Might!)

"Miller has the chance to make an impact in New York for years to come," wrote Ryan Kennedy in The Hockey News. "Chris Drury made a great deal in acquiring Miller."

Results were inconclusive in the homestretch last spring, especially since Miller's presence made little difference in avoiding further Blueshirts bumbling.

But 2024-25 did not provide a good sample. A fresh J.T. with a previous reputation for spirited play could be one of the missing links.

"I feel crazy lucky everything worked out the way it did," Miller told Ryan Kennedy. The Rangers will be crazy lucky if Miller provides that missing element called "Spirit."

(P.S. Crazier things have happened. Exhibit A: Matt Rempe!)