With less than three weeks to go in the regular season, J.T. Miller of the New York Rangers continues to be the most impactful trade acquisition in the NHL this season.
Since there are important games remaining — not to mention the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which the Rangers may not even qualify for — this could change. But really there are few players that switched teams this season who impacted their new one more than Miller has with the Rangers.
Start with the raw numbers. Since the Rangers landed Miller in a Jan. 31 trade with the Vancouver Canucks, the 32-year-old center has been a point-per-game player, with 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 24 games. That New York is only 11-10-3 in that stretch has less to do with Miller and more to do with overall underperformance and disfunction that’s threatened to submarine the team throughout the incredibly disappointing season.
No player traded during this season is remotely close to that kind of production with his new team, except for Martin Necas of the Colorado Avalanche (25 points in 25 games). Miller has the highest points-per-game average of any player in this category.
Mikko Rantanen is the best player traded (twice!) during this season. But his numbers fell way off with the Carolina Hurricanes (two goals, four assists in 13 games), though he’s turned it on since being dealt to the Dallas Stars (three points Saturday against the Seattle Kraken; 11 points in 11 games).
In the end, Rantanen could pass Miller on this list, especially if the Stars win the Stanley Cup — not a reach — and he plays a big role. But as of today, the body of work favors Miller, who has nine multiple-point games out of 24 with the Rangers and is on a heater now with seven points (three goals, four assists) during a four-game run.
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Numbers tell just part of the story with Miller, though. Yes, the Rangers acquired him to produce offensively and play a big role in all game situations, including the power play and penalty kill. But he was also brought in to help change the culture inside the locker room and enforce how to play a committed, heavy game night-in and night-out for a team that far too often provides no-shows this season.
It’s still a work in progress. But Miller quickly has become a leader with the Rangers, and his compete level and work ethic are never in question. He’s the model that coaches and management want the rest of the players to follow.
“He does everything the right way,” coach Peter Laviolette said earlier this month.
Miller’s return to Broadway seven years after the Rangers traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning is a success. His impact on and off the ice has been great and immediate. Now, let’s see if these Rangers can follow his lead and lock down a playoff berth in the tight Eastern Conference, where they currently hold the second wild card.
Which impactful NHL trade rivals Rangers’ acquisition of J.T. Miller this season?
Certainly, Necas, picked up from the Hurricanes in the first Rantanen trade, has played well for the Avalanche. But his impact is less great because he’s more of a complementary player on a roster that features top-level stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
Taylor Hall, part of the three-team Rantanen trade that included the Chicago Blackhawks, has been a good fit with the Hurricanes, who are interested in signing the pending UFA before he hits the open market. Hall’s been rejuvenated in Carolina, where he has eight goals and 14 points in 23 games. That’s solid production from a middle-six veteran forward — but not as impactful as Miller.
Also in Carolina, Mark Jankowski has ripped off a notable seven goals (on 10 shots!) in his first 10 games with the Hurricanes. Those numbers won’t continue, but he’s a nice bottom-six add for them.
Cam Fowler with the St. Louis Blues and Will Borgen with the Rangers are two defensemen traded within the season who’ve stood out with their new teams. Jake Walman has been very good in a smaller sample size with the Edmonton Oilers.
The one player who challenges Miller most for his immediate impact after being acquired in a trade this season is Mackenzie Blackwood. The 28-year-old goalie has stabilized the weak link on a powerful Avalanche team. Acquired from the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9 for underperforming former Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev, Blackwood turned a Colorado weakness into a strength with a 21-9-3 record, 2.14 goals-against average, .919 save percentage and three shutouts in 33 games.
Blackwood has not only stabilized the goaltending position, he has the Avalanche poised to contend for a run at their second Stanley Cup championship in four years. That’s some serious impact and one that could trump Miller’s with the Rangers before all is said and done this season.