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Is J.T. Miller the Solution to the Chris Kreider Problem?

by Jaso n E. Bisno ff

J.T. Miller was a healthy scratch f or the New York Rangers f or the last two games and af ter being sent back down to Hartf ord, it does not appear likely that he will be back in the lineup soon. With the Rangers winning games consistently as of late, it is no surprise that Coach Alain Vigneault has been reluctant to insert the young, inexperienced f orward whom has played in less than half of the teams game this year. T he only reason that Miller was even on the Rangers roster as opposed to continuing to dominate the AHL ranks is the recent injury to Chris Kreider . Kreider suf f ered a broken hand on March 21 in Columbus and has since undergone surgery. He is certain to miss the rest of the regular season but is indef inite f or the playof f s, provided the Rangers secure a spot. T his injury has sent shockwaves through the lineup, impacting not only J.T. Miller but all f our of the Rangers f orward lines. All f our lines have changed since Kreiders injury with the glaring hole being the one he lef t next to Derek Stepan and Rick Nash . Miller was the f irst person tasked with replacing Kreider and held the wing spot f or a brief stint. T his J.T. Mille r (J e an-Yve s Ahe rn-USA TO DAY Sp o rts ) line shuf f ling is also a result of the injury to Kreider coinciding with the change in personnel that only happened several weeks ago in the captain f or captain trade. Replacing Kreider has been complimented by the task of f inding the ideal spot f or St. Louis. In lieu of the 21-year-old Miller holding a consistent spot in the roster, the checking line has seen a player move out of that role into the top 9 f orwards. For the most part they have risen to the challenge but having Daniel Carcillo on the top line a couple of games ago seemed a bit f ar f etched. T hese lines jumbling have been reminiscent of the days of John Tortorella, the coach was known to shuf f le the lines on a regular basis. Ultimately, the Rangers have been most successf ul when they have had consistent line combinations. T his is where J.T. Miller may come in as the solution to the problem created by Chris Kreiders absence. Carl Hagelin has been the latest square peg to be placed in the round hole lef t by Kreider. T he thought process was to replicate the speed that helped the line when it was at f ull health and served as the Rangers top line. In order to promote a level of continuity, it would be ideal to have whoever replaces Kreider in the line up also replace his exact spot in the lines. T his way, Benoit Pouliot-Derick Brassard-Mats Z uccarello, Brian Boyle -Dominic Moore-Dorsett/Carcillo and Carl Hagelin- Brad Richards-Martin St.Louis can continue to play together as they did bef ore the injury.

When push comes to shove, the smartest move f or the Rangers may be giving J.T. Miller a prolonged chance to gain some chemistry with the top unit and see if betting on a rookie in the playof f s can prove as successf ul as two years ago when we all met Kreider f or the f irst time. It is not a certain solution but it allows f or the other lines to continue on what they have been doing and therein makes the loss of Kreider not cause as great collateral damage as it has thus f ar. When the playof f s roll around it will benef it the Rangers to have a set lineup night in and night out. If they hope to roll the dice on Miller, it is time to get him some NHL ice time. My name is Jason Bisnof f and I am a native New Yorker and currently do f reelance writing f or the New York City News Service. I have been published in the Albany Times-Union, Metroland, T he Nabe, Florence Magazine, 219 Magazine and previously did hockey writing f or Hockey T his Week.