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Jan 31, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (8) waits for a puck drop by linesman Shandor Alphonso (52) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
By now, everyone has heard what New York Rangers J.T. Miller said when asked about his message to the team heading into the Olympic break.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI literally don\u2019t know,\u201d he said. \u201cCome back with a better mindset, I guess.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Miller\u2019s words followed a dull 2-0 home loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, the Rangers\u2019 final game before the NHL\u2019s Olympic Break. This week, Miller, forward Vincent Trocheck, head coach Mike Sullivan, assistant coach David Quinn, and club president and general manager Chris Drury are in Milan, representing Team USA at the Winter Olympics. Forward Mika Zibanejad will play for Sweden.<\/p>\n
The three-week break couldn\u2019t come at a better time for the Rangers, who won\u2019t play again until Feb. 26. New York enters the break last in the Eastern Conference and third-last in the NHL.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get some time away from the game,\u201d Trocheck said Thursday when asked about the value of the break at this point in the season. \u201cA lot of time away from the game, I guess, to kind of refresh your brain. Good focus, do what you can to get your body ready for the last push of the season and come back with a clear head.\u201d<\/p>\n
The important part of Trocheck\u2019s answer is his mention of coming back with a clear head. The noise around the Rangers has been nonstop as the team keeps losing. Since their Winter Classic win over the Panthers in Miami on Jan. 1, they\u2019ve managed a single regulation win. Management issued another letter indicating its intention to retool. As trade rumors<\/a> have begun to circulate \u2014 which now have Trocheck\u2019s name at the forefront \u2014 Artemi Panarin was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings.<\/p>\n Defenseman Braden Schneider, who could also be on the move in the Rangers\u2019 retool, admitted that \u201cit\u2019s been a long, hard year\u201d and that the break would serve as a mental reset.<\/p>\n Sullivan said Thursday that his message to his players acknowledged the Rangers\u2019 position at this point of the season, and that \u201cnone of us really want to be in this position or having any sort of enjoyment or fulfillment in the position we\u2019re in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to give our guys an opportunity to get away from the game a little bit,\u201d Sullivan said about the Olympic break. \u201cEverybody feels it. At times, it can be heavy, I\u2019ll just be honest with you. It\u2019s part of it, and an opportunity to get away from it a little bit, recharge the batteries could be beneficial for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n But, as Sportsnet\u2019s NHL insider Elliotte Friedman wrote last week<\/a> in his 32 Thoughts blog, perhaps Miller and Sullivan will need to revisit the Rangers\u2019 season at some point during the break to calm the frustration mounting around the club.<\/p>\n Focus shifts to Olympics<\/p>\n The men\u2019s hockey tournament at the Olympics begins Wednesday, with preliminary games running through Sunday. Qualification, quarterfinal, semifinal, and the bronze and gold medal games will be played next week.<\/p>\n Zibanejad and Team Sweden will face Italy on the first day of the tournament, with puck drop at 3:10 p.m. ET. He skated on a line with Elias Pettersson and Rickard Rakell<\/a> at practice.<\/p>\n