Hall of Fame announcer Bob Miller returns to L.A. Kings

Looking fit and rested, Bob Miller returned to work Friday.

The Hall of Fame TV play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Kings called his first game since Feb. 2 when the Kings played the Dallas Stars in the first NHL game at T-Mobile Arena. Miller had open-heart surgery shortly after the February game.

“It’s great to be back,” said Miller, who will be working his 44th season calling Kings games. “I’m very excited to see the building here and see the fans here in Las Vegas. It’s a beautiful building, and I know they’ve already had so much interest in hockey here.”

Miller, 77, plans to work 58 games this season. He will take a page from Vin Scully’s playbook and not make any East Coast trips.

“I want to make sure I don’t overdo it,” Miller said. “After the surgery, my wife and I would sit home and watch a game, and I’d say to her, ‘I can do that.’ But then I’d get up and do something very trivial, and I’d be wiped out energy-wise. I knew I couldn’t get through one period.

“Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t try to rush back.”

Another Hall of Famer, Nick Nickson, filled in for Miller.

“He was great,” Miller said of Nickson, who has returned to his radio duties. “Nick is such a pro. I’m so grateful to him for filling in for me while I was gone.”

While Miller hopes to be back in Las Vegas next year when the Kings will be the visitors at T-Mobile, he wants to get through this year first.

“I’m taking it one year at a time,” he said. “But I hope to be here for next year’s games when the Kings play Las Vegas. I think it will be a fun rivalry for the fans of both teams.”

SIGNING DEADLINE LOOMS

With the NHL’s 30 teams making final preparations for the opening of the 2016-17 season Wednesday, several players are still without a contract and may not make it to opening night.

There are six restricted free agents, headed by Calgary’s Johnny Gadreau and Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov, who have yet to re-sign with their teams. And while it’s highly unlikely the six won’t be signed by Dec. 1, some might not be on the ice for a while. NHL rules stipulate any restricted free agent not signed by Dec. 1 is ineligible for the season.

Gadreau, one of the game’s rising stars and a key component for the success of team North America at the recent World Cup of Hockey, made $925,000 last year. The 23-year-old left wing is seeking a long-term deal with an average of $8 million. The Flames reportedly are countering with a $6.5 million average.

Kucherov, a 23-year-old right wing who led the Lightning with 66 points last season and made $712,000, wants a deal averaging $6 million a year. But Tampa Bay might not be able to accommodate him because of the team’s salary cap situation. There is talk of trading goaltender Ben Bishop, which not only would free up cap space for Kucherov but also prevent the team from losing Bishop to Las Vegas in the June expansion draft and getting nothing in return.

Anaheim is trying to re-sign center Rikard Rakell and defenseman Hampus Lindholm, and Buffalo is trying to work out something with defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.

The most interesting dilemma appears to be in Winnipeg, where defenseman Jacob Trouba requested a trade last season, was not accommodated and now is trying to get his money through a long-term deal. Trouba made $894,000 last year and wants $5.5 million per. Winnipeg has balked and could be without one of its top defensemen for a while.

It’s doubtful Calgary will lose Gadreau or Tampa Bay will not have Kucherov. But the fact the two young stars haven’t been able to get deals shows how complicated life is in today’s NHL with the salary cap and with the expansion draft next year. Protecting your assets never has been more important.

YAKUPOV = BENNETT?

The move Friday by the Edmonton Oilers in trading underachieving center Nail Yakupov to St. Louis conjured visions of another No. 1 overall draft choice who didn’t pan out: former UNLV star Anthony Bennett of the NBA.

Yakupov, the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, struggled in Edmonton. In four seasons, he scored 50 goals and had 111 points. Bennett, taken No. 1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2013 NBA Draft, has averaged 4.2 points during his career. He is with the Brooklyn Nets, his fourth NBA team.

The Blues, who sent Zach Pochiro, a career minor league forward who grew up playing hockey in Las Vegas, to Edmonton, are hoping Yakupov can regain his scoring touch.

“All he’s got to do is fit in,” Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. “We’ve done our homework.”

Steve Carp’s NHL notebook appears every Sunday. Contact him at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow on Twitter: @stevecarprj.