He's taking control more this season, acting like a quarterback for his linemates.
"He wants the puck," Rangers associate coach Scott Arniel said.
Not all players are like that. Arniel referenced Kreider as a player who wants to give the puck up so he can go find holes to get scoring chances. Miller is the opposite.
"We've all seen that he can be this impactful player; I think he's just put it together this year," center Derek Stepan said. "He's figured out what it takes to get through an 82-game schedule, the importance of being on the same page as your linemates, and what works for him in terms of play recognition. That's why you see him running better numbers."
Miller said he's learned more on the penalty kill. He's averaging 1:17 of shorthanded ice time per game. In 2015-16, he played one minute on the penalty kill all season.
"More often than not, I'm worried about my net," Miller said. "Sometimes I'm not, and it gets me in trouble."
Like for a few games late last month, when he was making poor reads away from the puck and turning it over when he had it. So Vigneault put him on the fourth line.
But Miller played an aware defensive game and an assertive offensive game against the San Jose Sharks on March 28. He scored two goals in a 5-4 overtime loss.
Vigneault started him on the fourth line against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the next game but bumped him up to play on the second line with Mika Zibanejad and Rick Nash in the second period. He had an assist on each of the Rangers' two goals in the third period of a 4-3 shootout loss.
"Some games, my feet stop moving and I stop being physical, and that's when I go in stretches when I'm not producing," Miller said. "When I am doing those things, the ice opens up and I can make a good, nice play."