Every New York Ranger competing in the 4 Nations Face-Off: J.T. Miller joins crowded field

The New York Rangers might not have made a Mikko Rantanen-sized splash, but they did make a big trade, acquiring J.T. Miller in a deal with the Vancouver Canucks. He's in the midst of a down year, but is still averaging nearly a point per game and should provide a massive spark to a Rangers team trying to squeak into the playoffs.

Before the playoffs get underway, though, NHL fans will watch the 4 Nations Face-Off take place. The 4 Nations Face-Off is a tournament featuring the best players who come from four different countries competing against each other instead of the All-Star Game.

Miller is one of 13 forwards to have cracked the United States roster. He's one of several Rangers players to participate in the tournament.

Which New York Rangers players are participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off?

Miller is one of three Rangers forwards and four Rangers players to crack the US roster, with Vincent Trochek, Chris Kreider, and Adam Fox being the others.

All of these players (sans Fox) have had disappointing years to an extent, but can provide the United States with value in certain areas. Kreider, for example, has three short-handed goals this season, just two shy of Sam Reinhart who leads the NHL with five. Trochek is arguably the best face-off man in the NHL, as evidenced by his 60.7 percent success rate on draws. That mark is good for second in the NHL, but the leader, Nico Sturm, has taken over 800 fewer draws than Trochek. Fox is as well-rounded of a defenseman as there is in the NHL.

While there is a heavy Rangers presence on Team USA, they will have representation on two of the other three teams as well.

Mika Zibanejad cracked a very underrated Team Sweden roster. He faces a ton of competition with guys like Elias Pettersson, Joel Eriksson-Ek, and Leo Carlsson down the middle, but even amid his down year, should play a fairly large role in the tournament. Perhaps a break of NHL action with this tournament can help the struggling forward turn things around down the stretch.

The last Rangers player to participate in the Four Nations Face-Off is Urho Vaakanainen, who joins Team Finland. Vaakanainen has just five points and is goal-less in 22 games with the Rangers since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in the Jacob Trouba trade earlier this season. He has six points in 27 games overall. How much playing time he'll receive in this tournament remains to be seen, but he will, at the very least, be a depth defenseman for Finland.