INSIDER: An Impressive NHL Debut for Martin Chromiak

I think we’ve seen the story all too often of a young player coming up from the AHL, being inserted on the fourth line and not making an impact. 

It’s not every story. 

Some players have games that translate into a bottom-six role, despite playing higher in the lineup in the AHL. I look at an Andre Lee, who scored 26 goals with the Ontario Reign last season but is able to find a role lower in the lineup with the Kings. Taylor Ward has scored at a 28-goal pace in the AHL over the last two seasons, but has succeeded lower in the lineup in the NHL.

I don’t think that Martin Chromiak is one of those players. He’s a player with speed, skill and a heck of a shot. At every level, where he has found success has been when he’s been allowed and encouraged to play to his strengths. Chromiak played lower in the lineup at times in Ontario and there was some production but he really flourished when playing in a role tailored more to his game. 

So, when the Kings learned on Saturday morning that Adrian Kempe would miss that day's game, it was Chromiak who was selected to play, for his NHL debut. Often times before in these situations, we've seen players move up in the lineup with a young player slotting in behind. Yesterday, Chromiak was a 1-for-1 swap, skating on the top offensive line with Artemi Panarin and Alex Laferriere. On the power play, the Kings actually moved the pieces around a bit to slot Chromiak in, with Panarin playing more on the right side of the ice, allowing Chromiak to be a shooting threat on his preferred left circle. 

I think that’s something that differs with Peter Laviolette and the current coaching staff. Chromiak, when in the lineup, was put into a place where his skillset could thrive. That was the plan and something Laviolette has tried to do in the past with similar players.

"When you recall people from the American Hockey League, my thought anyway is to try and place them in a position of success and then make adjustments from there,” Laviolette said. “I think there’s either positives that come from that or you maybe have to look for something different, but he's a guy who brings speed, he brings skill, he brings the ability to score goals. So, we’re trying to slot him in a position where he can take advantage of that.”

It's not every day that a player gets to say the other winger on his line during his NHL debut was Artemi Panarin.

Not a bad way to be introduced to the league. 

Chromiak was certainly set up for success and I thought he looked the part in his first game. He probably had the best Los Angeles chance in the first period, on a quick-release shot off the rush with Alex Laferriere, a shot which was blockered away by Buffalo goaltender Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen. Later in the game, he took a pass from defenseman Brandt Clarke and used his speed to create a partial breakaway, thwarted only by an unbelievable defensive play in recovery by defenseman Owen Zellweger. He had a decent second-period look on a one-timer on the power play as well. 

In total, Chromiak finished with eight shot attempts and five scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick, though only the power-play chance was recorded as a shot on goal. Maybe just as importantly, as a rookie, he not only didn’t slow down Panarin and Laferriere, but it felt like he helped that line have a pretty dangerous night.

The trio played 11:34 together at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick, and had a 23-12 on-ice advantage in shot attempts. Scoring chances were 15-8 in their favor. Any line driven by Panarin, especially with the way Laferriere is playing right now, will probably have their share of offensive-zone possession. It was nice, though, to see how seamlessly Chromiak was able to slot in. 

“He brought speed to the lineup and I thought that line was really good, they generated a lot of pucks at the net, they generated a lot of offensive-zone time,” Laviolette said after the game. “He brings speed, he’s got skill, he’s got a release that could score goals. I thought he had chances where he could have had two or three goals tonight. For him, I thought it was a good debut. I thought that the line generated a lot tonight.”

Perhaps what made the debut easier for Chromiak is that he really didn’t have all that much time to think about it.

Often times, players find out the day before and that means you have to sit with that information for 24 hours. You have to try and sleep, knowing the moment you’ve waited your entire life for is coming up the next day. That’s a hard task. 

The Kings gave Chromiak the heads up that he needed to be ready, with Kempe’s status unconfirmed after missing Friday’s practice. He didn’t know for sure, though, until Saturday morning, when he got the call. He felt that by getting the information so close to the game, he didn’t have time to worry about it. He just went out there and played.

“I think so, I got a pretty good sleep and wasn’t really thinking about it,” he said after the game. “When they called me in the morning, it was way too close to the game, so I didn’t even have time to get nervous.”

What also made things easier, in Chromiak’s opinion, was the situation he was put into.

I think that’s a big part of why Laviolette feels the way that he does. Not every player can succeed as a fourth-line player. It remains to be seen whether Chromiak can do that or not. He’s never played in that role. But we’ve seen it before, where players who have an offensive role as their NHL upside are placed into situations where they aren’t likely to be successful. And, when they haven’t, they’ve been scratched or sent to the AHL. 

Sometimes, that is the role available. If it was someone on the fourth line coming out, maybe the Kings would’ve had no choice but to play Chromiak there. They might've chosen a different player, someone who is better equipped to play there. Maybe, they’d have shuffled things around to accommodate Chromiak. Kempe is just day-to-day, so his participation on Wednesday feels like it should be a legitimate option. So, that spot might not be available for Chromiak. If not, it'll be interesting to see what the Kings do. He will either need to find a way to bring his game somewhere else in the lineup, or perhaps he finds himself on the outside. Maybe the Kings make further changes. Remains to be seen. 

Yesterday, that spot was available. Chromiak was given the chance to play in that spot and it gave him confidence to be utilized in a place that seems to emphasize his skillset. 

“I feel best when I can play offense and be in the offensive zone,” Chromiak said. “I was very happy and just tried to stick with my game. I was happy that the coaches gave me two very offensive and great players, I think they were helping me the whole night. I’m just thankful.”

Often times, after these kinds of debuts, the storyline is about living a dream. It’s about the moment. It’s about the realization of something a player has worked his entire life to achieve. I don’t mean to ignore those things with Chromiak, because they are all true. It meant a lot to him to realize his dream. It was emotional to be able to call his parents this morning and tell them he’d be playing an NHL game later that day. It was cool to have his rookie lap.

I don’t think it’s the main story here, though, and that’s a compliment to one of the stronger NHL debuts in Los Angeles in some time. The coaching staff deserves credit for putting the player in a position to succeed and Chromiak deserves credit for making the most of it. The Kings came up on the wrong side of a 3-2 defeat and Chromiak was among the players who had chances to perhaps swing that game the other way. When’s the last time you saw a forward play 17:31 in his NHL debut? When is the last time that 89 percent of those minutes came alongside Panarin? It’s not every day.

It's important that he played as well as he did, turning some heads in doing it. Chromiak was as advertised on night one, a dynamic offensive player in the AHL who got a chance to try and be that player in the NHL as well. It wasn't perfect, but it was impressive. Whether it’s on Wednesday or maybe further down the road, if certain opportunities within the lineup are available, I think that he showed well enough of himself to get another look. 

On a day when he'd have been the story in one way or another regardless, it was good on him for making that story about his play, not just that he was playing.