The NHL department of player safety announced that they have suspended New York Rangers defenceman K’Andre Miller three games for unsportsmanlike conduct following an incident involving Miller and Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty on February 26, 2023. During that game, Miller was given a match penalty and ejected for spitting at Doughty near the end of the first period.
K’Andre Miller Suspended for Three Games
NY Rangers’ K’Andre Miller has been suspended for three games for unsportsmanlike conduct on Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) February 28, 2023
K’Andre Miller’s match penalty and ejection for spitting at Drew Doughty during the Rangers-Kings game on Sunday turned into a three-game suspension following the NHL department of player safety’s hearing on Tuesday. The incident occurred during a skirmish between Miller and Doughty following the whistle. In addition to the three-game suspension, Miller will also forfeit $15,000 in salary. After the event, Miller went on to apologize on Twitter and state that the incident was completely accidental. Regardless, Miller must still sit out the Rangers next three games against the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins. This punishment falls in line with previous actions taken by the NHL department of player safety. In 2019, the department of player safety suspended Garnet Hathaway, then of the Washington Capitals, for the same length of time for spitting at then Anaheim Ducks defenceman Erik Gudbranson.
Impact on the New York Rangers
With the trade deadline looming and a notable injury to Ryan Lindgren, this suspension comes at a tricky time for the Rangers. K’Andre Miller is a very capable defenceman. The 23-year-old has spent a lot of time on the Rangers second pair and is very effective defensively. Offensively, he has put up six goals and 24 assists then season. Miller is a good skater and stands at six foot five inches tall and 205 pounds. He uses his size to play physical and currently has 130 hits this season. Losing Miller, combined with Lindgren, will certainly create a gap in the Rangers defensive core. While the Rangers wait to see the impact of the Lindgren injury and work out their final trade deadline player movement, they will have to do so without Miller in the lineup.
