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NHL Player Safety announced that New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller has been suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct on Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.
The incident occurred during the first period of the Rangers vs Kings game on Sunday, when K'Andre Miller spat on Drew Doughty. Miller was assessed a match penalty, and that triggered an automatic hearing. Miller released a statement on Monday regarding the incident, saying that it was completely accidental, and that he apologized to Doughty after the game.
— K'Andre Miller (@kandre_miller) February 27, 2023
This could complicate the defensive lineup for the next few games for the Rangers. They are already dealing with an injury to defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who was hurt during the Rangers game against the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
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The Rangers were already not using Braden Schneider during Sunday's game, opting to play with just five defensemen instead of the usual six. The motive for that was to keep him healthy so they could option him to the Hartford Wolfpack for the next day, and as a result the Rangers would accrue enough cap space to make a trade for Patrick Kane.
With Miller leaving the game early on, the Rangers rolled with four defensemen for the rest of the game against the Kings, opting to stay with the plan of not playing Braden Schneider. Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox, Ben Harpur and Niko Mikkola.
With the news of Miller's suspension, the Rangers will likely have to call up a defenseman, and if Ryan Lindgren can't play on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers they might have to go with five defensemen again. The Rangers could be forced to call up Libor Hajek to play defense over the next couple of games.
Regardless, the Rangers and Miller have clarity on the situation now, and more roster gymnastics will have to be performed over the next three games.
