The trade came through swiftly, with mere minutes between initial rumors and a finalized trade. The Rangers acquired JT Miller, defenseman Erik Brannstrom, and prospect Jackson Dorrington in exchange for Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini, and a top-13 protected 1st round pick in 2025. The trade came with no salary retention, which is a minor quibble given the drastic cap increase we will see. As per usual, I have some JT Miller trade thoughts.

1. First on the actual prize for the Rangers: JT Miller. Miller is a known entity. He’s a 1C that leans heavily on powerplay production to augment his stat line. He’s a north-south player with some grit to his game, something the Rangers sorely needed. We all know what JT Miller is on the ice, and what he brings to the Rangers. So there isn’t much to analyze.

2. Erik Brannstrom is a solid defenseman that just can’t seem to stick. His stats are solid, and he drives play on both offense and defense. But there is clearly something we are all missing. The now 25 year old is on his 4th team, 5th if you include Vegas, and though he signed with Colorado this offseason, he never played for them and was traded before the season starts. Maybe he just needs a legitimate opportunity, something he clearly didn’t get in Vancouver or Colorado.

Brannstrom’s numbers suggest he could be a solid Ryan Lindgren replacement. Brannstrom’s inability to stick in the NHL this year suggests he’s a 6/7D and a Zac Jones replacement.

3. Jackson Dorrington is a former 6th round pick finishing up his junior season at Northeastern. The 6’2, 210 lb left defenseman has made steady improvements, per DobberHockey, and is a strong two-way presence for the Howlin’ Huskies. His defensive game has taken major strides, and though he’s likely not going to be in the NHL any time soon, he fills an organizational need with Mancini–and likely Jones and Lindgren–gone.

4. In giving up Chytil, the Rangers shed a major injury risk, even if he showed signs of improvement this season. We all love Chytil, but it’s clear the concussion concerns were eating at Chris Drury. There are rumblings that many GMs wouldn’t touch Chytil given the history, and that passes the good ole sniff test.

As for Mancini, he wasn’t passing Adam Fox, Will Borgen, or Braden Schneider on the depth chart. The trade was almost inevitable once Borgen was extended.

The 1st round pick is a part of doing business, and it is what it is. Miller is an upgrade on Chytil at the moment. It’s top-13 protected this year, and if that should come to pass, it’s unprotected in 2026.

It’s a fair value trade at the moment. I guess the saying “a good trade means both teams feel they lost” is accurate after all.

JT Miller trade thoughts – initially underwhelming, but don’t miss the forest for the trees

5. My JT Miller trade thoughts are a bit disjointed at the moment, so I’m going to do my best to organize it all. In a vacuum, this trade is underwhelming at best and doesn’t address the true needs of the team. That’s not saying it isn’t an upgrade on Chytil, it’s saying it’s underwhelming and doesn’t move the needle as much as people think it does.

Oversimplifying things a bit, Miller and Chytil are essentially the same at 5v5. They both have the same strengths and weaknesses with some minor differences. Chytil generated more quality offense while Miller more quantity. The rest is negligible. But even in terms of 5v5 points, Miller’s 5v5 points-per-60 (2.05) was barely higher than Chytil’s (1.92). Miller’s stat lines are propped up on powerplay points, which is also a need for the Rangers this season.

6. It’s very important that we don’t miss the forest for the trees here. The JT Miller trade was made to add an element of north-south grit and skill to a lineup that had become very vanilla. But on its own, it isn’t enough. The Rangers are probably set at forward now, though with a marginal upgrade. It’s the blue line that needs help, and that is still a to-do item for Chris Drury.

We won’t be able to fully analyze this trade until we see what other trades are up Drury’s sleeve this deadline. They desperately need a 1LD, and while Brannstrom has some nice numbers, he’s essentially the same thing as Zac Jones right now.

Brannstrom will likely report to Hartford, not the Rangers.

7. Assuming Miller:

  • Gets his head on straight and doesn’t make bad vibes worse,
  • Can actually produce at 5v5 as the de facto 1C,
  • Gets powerplay time and makes PP1 better, thus making PP2 better,
  • Actually forechecks and backchecks regularly;

then perhaps the Rangers will be better both short term and long term with this trade. His intensity can be a good thing, if channeled properly. That will be Vincent Trocheck’s job now. Miller is clearly the best player in the trade, but Chytil’s potential is tough to ignore, as is Miller’s attitude concern.

Some other, related thoughts

8. The Rangers had one of the best lines in hockey, in terms of xG share, with the Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko line.

Top forward lines by expected goal percentage (minimum 150 minutes played together 5 on 5) moneypuck.com/lines.htm

MoneyPuck.com (@moneypuck.bsky.social) 2025-01-31T14:34:11.016Z

They were so good they went from the best third line in hockey to a top tier second line. xG share does not tell a whole story, but that line also played solid north-south hockey and was great in all three zones. They were the only line that forechecked and backchecked consistently. Then it got blown up for reasons few can explain. Now only Cuylle remains.

9. In this trade, the Rangers got older. In the Kaapo Kakko trade, the Rangers got older. In the Jacob Trouba trade, the Rangers got younger. One out of three trades thus far has made the team older. Two of three made the Rangers more expensive.

The pessimist in me says this is a GM trying to save his job. The optimist in me says the first two trades were inevitable, and getting out from Chytil’s injury history is a win. The cap ceiling increase helps tremendously too.

10. I do not like this trade, as I think Chytil could have been a chip for a different center, one who isn’t 32, on an $8 million contract, and comes with baggage. That does not mean Chytil should not have been traded. It means, to me, Miller wasn’t the obvious choice that Drury and many fans think he was.

To me, a “core shakeup” doesn’t mean trading a pair of 25-and-under middle-six players. It means trading the guys who run the locker room. Trouba was obviously traded, which was one step in the right direction. But you can’t look at me and say, with a straight face, that all others in the current leadership core are bringing good vibes to a team that desperately needs good vibes.

Wrapping up my JT Miller trade thoughts, I hope I”m wrong about this trade. They got the best player in the deal, but they got older, more expensive, and didn’t address true needs. The missing link is what Peter Laviolette does with his lines and roles with Miller on board. Once we have that piece of the puzzle, we will know how this trade turns out.

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