New York Rangers’ K’Andre Miller suspended three games for unsportsmanlike conduct

Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL Department of Player Safety has suspended New York Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller for three games for unsportsmanlike conduct.

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

The incident in question occurred during the first period of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings when Miller spat in the direction of Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. Miller received a five-minute major and a match penalty in the game, which the Kings did not score on. The Rangers went on to win that game 5-2.

There’s a bit of controversy with this situation, as there’s some belief that Miller didn’t intentionally spit at Drew Doughty. However, it’s mostly just following the precedent set by at-the-time Washington Capitals winger Garnet Hathaway, who received a three-game suspension for spitting on at-the-time Anaheim Ducks defenseman Erik Gudbranson in 2019.

It’ll be a big absence for the Rangers, as Miller has really developed into a strong top-four defenseman, and has had a breakout year offensively. He currently has six goals, 24 assists, and 30 points in 60 games, already 10 points clear of his previous career-high, and only three of those points coming on the power play.

At this moment, there is no one on the roster to replace Miller in the lineup, and they might not even be able to. With the team reportedly acquiring Patrick Kane in the next few hours, they can’t add anyone else to the roster since Miller doesn’t give the Rangers cap relief if he’s suspended, and Ryan Lindgren is currently day-to-day, so his cap hit is also still on the books.

Brayden Schneider is also currently in the minors to create cap space, so if the Kane trade goes through and they send a forward down to bring up Schneider, they may have to play with five defensemen until Lindgren or Miller returns.

Miller was drafted 22nd overall in 2018 by the Rangers, and is in his third season with the team. He’s in the final year of his entry-level contract, and is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.