Miller Awarded Big Deal

Defenseman Aaron Miller of the Kings was awarded a two-year, $3.3-million contract Monday by an arbitrator, sources said.

Miller, acquired last February in the trade that sent all-star defenseman Rob Blake to the Colorado Avalanche, will be paid $1.6 million for the 2001-02 season and $1.7 million for the 2002-03 season after earning $900,000 last season.

“We’re very happy with the award,” his agent, Lewis Gross, said from New York.

Miller, 30, is expected to sign a contract this week.

Also Monday, the Kings announced that free-agent center Bryan Smolinski, their No. 3 scorer last season behind Ziggy Palffy and Luc Robitaille, has signed a two-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration.

The 29-year-old Smolinski, who had 27 goals and 32 assists in 78 regular-season games for the Kings last season while splitting time between center and left wing, signed a $4.7-million deal that will pay him $2.3 million next season and $2.4 million in 2002-03.

“It’s nice to have the contracts done,” King General Manager Dave Taylor said. “Both these guys played prominent roles for us.”