K’Andre Miller has been suspended three games following his ejection from the Rangers’ win Sunday, when he was given a match penalty for spitting on Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. The NHL’s department of player safety announced its decision Tuesday afternoon.
The 23-year-old appeared to spit toward Doughty as he skated near a cluster of Rangers in the corner, and his removal forced the Blueshirts to play with four defensemen the rest of the game in an eventual 5-2 win.
“I didn’t see nothing,” head coach Gerard Gallant said postgame. “Obviously, it happened, I’m not saying it didn’t happen. The kid feels bad about it, said it was an accident.”
Miller then released a lengthy apology Monday that reiterated a similar sentiment, writing on Twitter that he “feels awful” about what transpired and noting that it was “completely accidental.”
Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller being escorted off the ice after his ejection. APHe was among the 16 Rangers who practiced Tuesday before the Blueshirts departed for Philadelphia, where they play Wednesday.
About an hour after Miller tweeted his statement, the department of player safety announced he’d have a hearing concerning the incident.
It’s unclear when that took place, though.
“I have all the respect in the world for Drew Doughty and what happened was completely accidental,” Miller wrote in his apology. “I would never intend to do something like that on purpose, it goes against everything I am as a person and player.
“I felt awful about it and I am thankful Drew gave me the opportunity to apologize and explain myself in person after the game.”
Garnet Hathaway was suspended three games in 2019 for spitting on Erik Gudbranson in a game his then-team, the Capitals, played against the Ducks.
That served as the precedent for this situation, and Miller’s suspension matches it.
The Rangers might also be without Ryan Lindgren — who didn’t practice Tuesday and is still listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury — against the Flyers.
Defenseman Braden Schneider was assigned to AHL Hartford following Sunday’s game in a move connected to the pursuit of Blackhawks star Patrick Kane, whom the Rangers acquired Tuesday.
Miller, a first-round pick in 2018, had skated in all 60 regular-season games this season.
K’Andre Miller Getty ImagesHe appeared in every game last year, too.
He has scored six goals and added a career-high 24 assists, becoming a regular on the blue line alongside Rangers captain Jacob Trouba.
The Rangers announced the trade of 25-year-old Austin Rueschhoff to the Predators for future considerations Tuesday.
Rueschhoff, a 6-foot-7 forward, was signed as a free agent by the Blueshirts in 2020 after a college career at Western Michigan.
He had spent time with AHL Hartford.
