According to Larry Brooks, the Rangers have sent JT Miller home so that he can rehab his injured wrist.
Miller has been skating with the Rangers taxi squad since the Whale didn’t make the playoffs.
He has been dealing with a wrist issue since mid to late March.
THIS SECTION is all about JT Miller.
This season, JT Miller played in 26 games for the Rangers.
He recorded two goals in his second game and added in two assists in two February games. The last point Miller recorded was on 2/28.
Miller averaged 13:31 per game and played at least 9:41 in 25 of his 26 games.
In his last game, 4/1, Miller was a minus two and played a season low 7:08.
Miller had been scratched/sidelined since that game on 4/1 with a wrist injury that the team wanted treated in NY rather than Hartford.
John Tortorella said on Wednesday that sending Miller down was the right move for his development.
Tortorella said, “I couldn’t wait for his wrist to get better so I could send him down. He needs to play. I think he has a bright future but the future is not right now. I like the lineup how it is with the personnel we have. He did some good things, but you could see that more and more mistakes were coming into his game and it’s the wrong way to develop a player. He is just 20 years old.”
Miller turned 20 less than a month ago.
Tortorella added that if the team has some injuries they will ask the coaches in Hartford for the guy playing the best down there and they won’t hesitate to bring Miller back if he is that player.
THIS SECTION is all about JT Miller.
Adam Rotter: Miller just turned 20 and most prospects/players his age don’t have the chance to play in the AHL because they still have junior eligibility. Miller was brought up because he was the best option the Rangers had at that moment. He had some struggles in the defensive zone and the team wasn’t comfortable making a run to the playoffs with him in the lineup. After acquiring Ryane Clowe and Derick Brassard, the Rangers brought in some depth that could take pressure off of Miller and allow him to develop at a different pace in Hartford.
4:03PM: The Rangers have announced that Miller has been sent down.
The Whale have five games left in the regular season, all on the road, before the playoffs start. The Whale are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 78 points. They hold a three point lead over Hershey (8th) and Norfolk (9th) but have played one more game.
3:40PM: According to the AHL Transaction wire, via Stan, the Rangers have sent JT Miller to Hartford.
Miller was sent down to Hartford last week but recalled the same day so he could stay with the team and undergo treatment on his wrist.
THIS SECTION is all about Miller and where he is at right now.
JT Miller has missed the Rangers last two games with a wrist issue.
This comes after Miller was actually sent down on Wednesday after four straight games of being a minus player. He was brought back up so that the Rangers doctors could keep tabs on him.
Miller has been receiving treatment on his wrist, and has been skating, but told the Daily News that he wants to make sure he takes the right track towards returning to the lineup.
He said that sitting out gives him an opportunity to watch the game from a different vantage point and take what he sees from watching and bring it on the ice.
Miller says that he tried to take some shots during the Rangers morning skate on Friday and trainer Jim Ramsay yelled at him and told him to stop.
He has not recorded a point since 2/28. Miller is averaging over 13:30 per night.
In the NY Post, Larry Brooks writes that JT Miller’s wrist is still bothering him and that even if he was needed last night, he could not have played.
Brooks says that the Rangers kept Miller with the Ranger so he could undergo treatment on his wrist in NY instead of Hartford.
On ESPN Radio, John Tortorella spoke about how the Rangers trade today and addition of depth impacts the young players such as Chris Kreider and JT Miller.
Tortorella said that the trade gives the team some depth and, “it allows us to put our kids where they should be and have them develop the proper way and not in this mess.”
5:29PM: The team has officially sent Kreider and Fast to the Whale. Press release is below
4:51PM: Andrew Gross notes on twitter that the Rangers have said Miller won’t be in the lineup tonight.
4:25PM:According to the AHL Transaction wire, the Rangers have recalled JT Miller from Hartford.
Chris Kreider is still in Hartford.
Miller and Kreider were sent down, though not confirmed by the team, this morning.
12:51PM: Leslie Treff notes that Kreider, Miller and Jesper Fast will all be with the Whale shortly.
12:49PM: John Shannon tweets that nothing should be read into the Rangers sending Kreider and Miller down to Hartford. He notes that the team is concerned with their development.
12:20PM: Katie Strang notes that both Miller and Kreider have been sent down.
John Tortorella spoke about how he wasn’t sure he could play Kreider and Miller in all the close games down the stretch.
Adam Rotter: This was expected and just because they were sent to Hartford today, doesn’t mean that one or both could be back next week. The fact is, Kreider and Miller need to play a lot and the Rangers are in a position right now where they can’t/don’t want to live with the mistakes that they may make. Having them on the fourth line or benched does nothing for anyone. This team is trying to make the playoffs and in the eyes of John Tortorella, right now the negative is outweighing the positive in their game.
Lasts night, for the first time since 2/21, JT Miller played under 10 minutes in a game. He played a season low 7:08, was a minus two, and last stepped on the ice at 14:04 of the second period.
Chris Kreider, who started the game on the fourth line, played a season low 3:23 and last saw the ice at 7:22 of the second period.
On the post game show, John Tortorella said that he is starting to worry about Kreider and Miller and what kind of role they can play with the Rangers constantly in tight games.
Tortorella said “quite honestly, I am worried about the two kids. I am not upset with them, I just think that the stakes are high and I just have to watch how they go through the game.”
He then said that he wasn’t sure what the next step would be but that he doesn’t want to mess with their development.
On MSG, Dave Maloney and Brian Leetch said that with everything so magnified in the shortened season, the Rangers don’t have the time to allow Kreider and Miller to make mistakes and learn from them, especially at this stage of the season.
The NY Post says that Kreider and Miller are still considered to be untouchable in the organization.
Tortorella has spoken about the struggles he faces sometimes to find ice time for the young players.
Adam Rotter: I don’t see anything wrong with sending Miller and Kreider down to Hartford and it should be done today if John Tortorella isn’t sure he can trust them enough. The primary objective right now is to make the playoffs and it seems that while Kreider and Miller can help the Rangers do that, Tortorella thinks that the negatives in their game could outweigh the positives. Mats Zuccarello took Kreider’s spot in the top six and if Kreider is going to be on the fourth line, he should be in Hartford and playing big minutes. Same with Miller, who could allow Arron Asham to come back into the lineup and maybe ease some of John Tortorella’s fears.
According to Andrew Gross at Ranger Rants, JT Miller is dealing with a left wrist issue that occurred during Thursday’s loss to the Panthers.
Miller had an X-Ray on his wrist that was negative.
He is considered day to day and will take tomorrow’s morning skate to see how he feels and if he can shoot the puck.
Miller told Gross that he left the ice at practice today because his wrist was bothering him when he tried to shoot or pass the puck
The issue is apparently something that Brian Leetch used to deal with, where the tendons in his upper left forearm have become loose.
