The New York Rangers made a trade for forward J.T. Miller knowing he had built a career on playing with an edge.
Miller knows it and acknowledged it in an interview with USA Today's Vince Mercogliano, saying he isn’t concerned with how fans perceive him.
“I definitely come off as angry,” Miller said. “People may not like that, but I don’t really give a [expletive] what they think.”
Now back with the New York Rangers after a midseason trade from Vancouver, Miller acknowledged that his intense style has defined his game.
“The second I lose that mindset, I feel like things are going to dip—and they have,” Miller said. “The proof is in the pudding there.”
New York Rangers left wing J.T. Miller (8) skates at Madison Square Garden.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Miller’s return to New York came after a locker room rift with former Vancouver Canucks teammate Elias Pettersson led to an untenable situation and the ultimate trade.
Team president Jim Rutherford decided to move Miller, sending him back to the franchise that drafted him in 2011 with the No. 15 overall pick.
“A lot of the season wasn’t really fun, so I’m just enjoying myself right now,” Miller said. “It’s fun coming to the rink again.”
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette has embraced Miller’s approach, praising the way he plays the game.
“He’s a guy that plays the game the right way,” Laviolette said. “He takes 35-second shifts, 40-second shifts, and he plays them hard. He changes the right way. He drives the net. He stops in down-low coverage.
”All the little things that you want from a player, he brings that to the table.”
Since rejoining the Rangers, Miller has been a key contributor, producing 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in his first 17 games.
Miller had 35 points in 40 games with the Canucks earlier this season, making it 53 in 58 over the full campaign.
“I play on a sharp sword,” Miller said. “That’s just how it is, and I feel like I spent a lot of my career explaining myself. Everybody’s different, so I just try to regulate my emotions.
”I don’t want it to go away, because it brings out the best in me.”
