MILLER A RANGER ... FINALLY; TORBERT ON THE SPOT
Of Several Things:
After several weeks of will he?/won’t he? … will
they?/won’t they? … he finally did. So did the
Vancouver Canucks who (Friday) sent center J.T.
MILLER to the New York Rangers … for injury-
prone (many concussions) FILIP CHYTIL, a
protected first-round draft choice and rookie
defenseman VICTOR MANSINI off the AHL
Hartford roster. The Broadway Blueshirts also got
a couple of never-heard-of-’em defenseman … one
still playing hockey in college, the other described
as a “career minor-leaguer.” … Miller had to waive
a no-trade contract to make the swap possible …
And, for while it appeared that was the least of the
hangups. The Rangers were said to be holding out
for the Canucks to pick up some of Miller’s
contract that has four years remaining at $8 million
annually… and Vancouver wanted young
defenseman BRADEN SCHNEIDER … In the
end, with Miller involved in a divisive spat with
teammate ELIAS PETTERSSON (and apparently
in coach RICK TOCCHET’s dog house), it
became obvious he had to be moved … and both
sides relented … Friday’s announcement by the
league of a rather substantial salary cap increase
over the next three years certainly helped.
So, who got the better of the deal? For sure, there
is no consensus … The Rangers got the player they
hope will be an upgrade (on the scoresheet as well
as in the dressing room) and thereby solidify a
group of top six under-performers … especially
heretofore high-scoring center MIKA
ZIBANEJAD … Taken by New York in the first
round (15th overall) of the 2011 entry draft, Miller
spent 6 ½ years in the Big Apple to mixed reviews.
Traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the native of
East Palestine, Ohio, subsequently was dealt to
Vancouver where he became a scoring machine …
and signed a seven-year, $56 million contract Sept.
2, 2022 … The 6-1, 218-pound left-hand shooting
Miller had his best season in 2023-24 (103 points,
37 goals, plus 32, all career highs) … So far this
season (40 games, 9 goals, 26 assists, minus 4) …
He also brings much-needed toughness to the
Rangers… as witnessed by a winning fight over St.
Louis Blues’ BRAYDEN SCHENNearlier this
week … By the way, the first-round draft choice
will be in 2025 if it is 13th or better. Otherwise, the
Rangers will owe Vancouver a first-rounder in
2026, regardless of where it lands.
RON TORBERT should call in sick. He’s
scheduled to work next Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX
as the lead official, a job once considered enviable
… but no longer as high-stakes wagering became
legal … Now, with every blown call – and, gosh
knows, there are plenty of them – come
accusations games are fixed … In Sunday’s
Buffalo/Kansas City AFC final, the Bills kept
getting questionable ball placements (TV’s TROY
AIKMAN counted “as many as five.”) … until a
bad spot on fourth-and-short killed Buffalo’s last
drive in a 32-27 victory by Kansas City, a slight
favorite (1.5 points) over the Eagles to claim an
unprecedented third straight NFL championship …
But then everybody knows the Chiefs always get
the calls, right?
This will be Torbert’s second Super assignment as
referee and 14th post-season game overall. From
Youngstown, Ohio, now living in Hanover, Md., he
is an attorney who attended Michigan State and
law school at Harvard … Torbert, 61, started with
the NFL in 2010 as a side judge before becoming a
referee in 2014. He worked two Eagles games this
season but hasn’t seen the Chiefs in two years …
Among his eight-man crew for Eagles/Chiefs in
New Orleans will be umpire MIKE MORTON, a
dentist and former North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
linebacker … who becomes the first to officiate a
Super Bowl as well as win a ring (1999 with the
Rams as reserve LB, one tackle, against the Titans,
23-16) … Torbert and side judge BORIS CHEEK,
retired director of operations and management
from Charlotte by way of Morgan State, are the
only two with previous Super experience … At 29
years the dean of NFL officials, Cheek is working
his fourth title matchup. This will be his record
461st game overall.
Until next time ...
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