Rangers captain J.T. Miller won’t play at the Predators because of injury

By Canadian Press on December 21, 2025.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — New York Rangers captain J.T. Miller will miss at least one game after getting injured Saturday and not traveling with the team to Nashville.

Coach Mike Sullivan said Miller was still being evaluated back home and would not play Sunday night at the Predators. Sullivan called it only an upper-body injury.

Miller left the Rangers’ game against Philadelphia with about eight minutes left after taking a big hit from Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler and landing awkwardly. The 32-year-old forward appeared to be favoring his right arm or shoulder while in pain on the bench and skating off to go down the tunnel for medical attention.

“You don’t want to lose any teammates,” center Mika Zibanejad said after a 5-4 shootout victory. “When you see your captain go down and you don’t see him come back that, obviously becomes (a situation) for us to step up and everyone has to do a little more when a guy like that leaves. Just hoping everything is OK.”

Winger Artemi Panarin was also reluctant to speculate on the severity other than to say: “It’s pretty sad that he had to leave the game, but I hope that he’ll be all right.”

Miller was named captain before training camp. He has 10 goals and 12 assists in 35 games this season and is believed to be in consideration for the U.S. Olympic team, though it’s unclear if this injury could cloud that possibility.

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The Associated Press