The New York Rangers announced the return of J.T. Miller in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
“Couldn’t be happier to be here now,” Miller told NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. “It was a team effort to find a different place, obviously a special place here in New York.”
Miller, who waived his no-move clause to facilitate the trade, spent his first five-plus NHL seasons with the Rangers after they selected him 15th overall in the 2011 draft.
“It’s hard. I’ve had a long year personally,” Miller said. “Unfortunately that goes by the wayside when you’re trying to win hockey games. It’s a business, right? It got a little ugly there at the end, but I’m glad it’s done and happy to be here.”
The trade follows recent reports of tension between Miller and former teammate Elias Pettersson in Vancouver’s dressing room.
Miller’s return to New York reunites him with center Vincent Trocheck, his childhood friend from Pittsburgh.
“He’s my best friend in the world,” Trocheck said. “I think this had been a pipe dream for -10 years in the making, I feel like.”
In his first game back with the Rangers, Miller scored twice against the Boston Bruins on Saturday. He has recorded 37 points in 41 games this season, following a career-high 103 points in 2023-24.
