The debate about whether the captain’s ‘C’ still matters in the NHL is an interesting one. Julian McKenzie at The Athletic dove into this, and it’s a fascinating read. The Rangers current captain situation wasn’t mentioned in the article, but it likely would have been used as a case why the captain’s ‘C’ truly matters. JT Miller, the Rangers current captain, is much maligned in his second stint with the club, and has not been a good captain in his first season with the ‘C’. Before Miller was Jacob Trouba, a player New York shipped away with much controversy. Needless to say, New York’s experience has been unique.
With that, I’d argue the Rangers current captain situation represents a perfectly logical example of why captains do matter in hockey. New York is one of the biggest markets in the NHL, so the captain doesn’t just set the tone on the ice, but also in the heavily scrutinizing New York media that’s always looking for a sound bite.
Jacob Trouba mostly said the right things. New York didn’t deal with too many controversial quotes until Trouba was clearly getting traded (and knew it himself). Once that situation played out, New York knew that stripping their captain of his ‘C’ would be more detrimental to the locker room than just letting Trouba have bad vibes. Eventually Trouba was traded, but the vibes already reached the point of no return.
Rangers current captain is lacking leadership
Once New York finally moved Trouba, they swiftly moved onto the “leadership” of JT Miller, a player who was shipped out of his last two homes because he couldn’t get along with other players on the team. Chris Drury and Mike Sullivan saw Miller, a player who has always lacked control over his emotions, has pouted on the ice and off the ice, and has clashed with people every stop along the way in his career, and determined that’s who the Rangers current captain should be.
Unsurprisingly, the experiment swiftly failed. New York was awful last season, with Miller having one of the worst seasons of his career on and off the ice. Miller was regularly caught not hustling, he gave the media negative sound bites on a multitude of occasions, and he seemed completely worn down by his responsibilities as captain. Rumors that the Rangers current captain forced himself into the lineup so he wasn’t left off the 2026 Winter Olympics roster never quite disappeared wither.
This miscalculation has again put the Rangers in the awkward position of knowing they can’t just strip Miller’s captaincy, but he also isn’t the right guy for the job. Thus, the Rangers are being led by a guy who is providing little to no leadership. There is still time for the Rangers current captain to turn things around, and it’s widely known his emotions run with the success of the team. Perhaps an improved Rangers team that fights for a playoff spot would help shift things in his head.
Many may sigh and give an eye roll at the importance of the C in the NHL, but look no further than the Carolina Hurricanes in 2026. Jordan Staal may not be the flashiest player, but any time the Hurricanes needed a lift, he was the guy. In the media, he was the guy. The Rangers current captain does not exude that confidence when the Rangers need it the most.
The captain absolutely matters in the NHL. Unfortunately for Rangers fans, we’ve had to learn that the hardest way possible. Actions speak louder than words, and right now Miller lacks both. But again the Ranger are improved, so maybe there’s still hope after all.
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