The Kings had 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders this morning at Toyota Sports Performance Center.
Here’s the alignment we saw today –
Byfield – Kopitar - Moore
Panarin – Laferriere - Ward
Kuzmenko – Turcotte – Perry
Foegele – Helenius – Malott
Anderson – Moverare
Edmundson – Clarke
Dumoulin – Ceci
Forsberg
Copley
Few notes here, laid out as best as I can below.
First things first, for the time being, Taylor Ward is filling in for Adrian Kempe's spot in the lineup for the time being. Doesn't mean Ward will be out when everyone is back, but Jim Hiller confirmed that his first thoughts on where Artemi Panarin might fit into the mix would be on a line with Kempe and forward Alex Laferriere, who will be playing center. It's where I wanted to see Panarin put. I think that Laferriere with Kempe is a pair that has shown a lot of chemistry and he plays a style that should, on paper at least, mesh well with a guy like Panarin. That line looked pretty good with Corey Perry there and I think that slotting Panarin with Kempe/Laferriere makes a ton of sense.
First things first, Hiller said that he had a conversation with Panarin about it. Panarin is a right-shot forward who plays the left wing. Hiller said that Panarin indicated his preference is to have a left-shot winger on the right wing, another off-hand player, and Kempe obviously fits that bill. He's left-shot, right winger who prefers to play on his off hand as well. With Laferriere, the Kings liked having a right-shot forward through the middle with Panarin, to work him the puck on his forehand, making it an easier pass to make through the middle. Laferriere and Panarin play very different games, but games that in theory should compliment each other. Laferriere has looked every bit like a center since moving to the position, operating very effectively through the middle of the ice.
Here are two quotes from Hiller to reflect what is noted above -
Hiller on Panarin's Preferences
I know what he likes......he likes a left-hand shot playing his off-side, he makes a lot of cross-ice passes, I understood that. The conversation was an easy one. Then, I looked at what teammates probably fit him best and as it turns out, Kempe is an off-handed shooter that plays on his off side. Seems to be, at least, pretty natural and we'll see how the chemistry goes.
Hiller on why he chose Laferriere as the center for that line
Laf is a right shot and on your forehand, it's an easier pass, so as a right shot, it's most natural to pass it to your left, Panarin is going to be on his left, so that is part of the equation. I thought, actually, they had some chemistry today already, I think it looks to be pretty easy to have chemistry with Panarin. He makes a lot of good offensive plays, they had some pretty good plays going.
In talking with Laferriere today, he believes his game should mesh very well with Panarin. He sees Panarin as a guy who likes to hang onto pucks, create possession and make plays off of that possession. Laferriere is one of the best players on the Kings of getting to the net and he doesn't need to have the puck at all times to be effective. He believes he can get to the middle of the ice effectively and create ice for both Panarin and Kempe, which should be an exciting thought when you think about the caliber of those two players. It's exciting on paper.
Obviously, see how it goes. I can see arguments to putting Anze Kopitar or Quinton Byfield in that spot as well, but I really believe that Laferriere is the best fit with Kempe and Panarin. Suppose the proof will be in the pudding.
Will have a more extended story to follow on Panarin, likely tomorrow, but it was good to see him integrated into the mix during today's practice.
From a logistical standpoint, defenseman Mikey Anderson and forward Alex Turcotte were among that group of 18. Both players are on injured reserve and would need to be activated in order to play, but there’s plenty of time for that. Turcotte has missed the last six games with an upper-body injury while Anderson has missed two consecutive games with an upper-body injury of his own, sustained in Carolina on February 1.
"Healthier," Hiller said, when asked if his team was able to get healthy over the break. "We don't disclose everything that's going on, but I would say healthier. I think it probably looks like some players that we have to play will have to play through some things, even after the break, guys still won't be 100%. I think it's trending [towards everyone being able to play coming out of the break]."
Turcotte had been skating on his own even going into the break, so it’s unsurprising that he’s out there and seems to be good to go. With Anderson, his timeline always likely aligned with these practices coming out of the break, so there isn’t any surprise there either. Good to see both guys back in the mix.
As Hiller noted, there are some additional players who are battling through some injuries. Likely includes some of the team's defensemen, with Hiller indicating that group was operating below 100 percent going into the break. But it's something that the Kings will manage going forward with a few different players.
Also on the ice today was goaltender Pheonix Copley, who was recalled from the AHL’s Ontario Reign this morning, prior to practice. Copley is expected to be loaned back to Ontario later today and will be the backup goaltender tonight, behind Erik Portillo, as the Reign host Abbotsford at Toyota Arena. With Darcy Kuemper still in Milan, the Kings only have goaltender Anton Forsberg on the roster. As such, Copley fills that second goaltender role for practice today, as he likely will over the next couple of days as well, until Kuemper is back.
Lastly, forward Kevin Fiala was placed on injured reserve today, which clears the way for Copley to be recalled. It’s unsurprising. Fiala is out for the remainder of the regular season at least and he will be reevaluated at the conclusion of the regular season, in advance of potential playoff participation. The question here was whether Fiala would be placed on injured reserve or long-term injured reserve. Today, there is no benefit to placing him on LTIR, so it’s IR for now. Down the road, it wouldn’t be surprising to see that designation change, if needed, but the Kings have ample cap space for now to accommodate Fiala’s cap hit and the extra player. Likely comes more into play if the Kings were to make an additional move down the stretch, which would come with extra added salary.
So that’s that.
TLDR, Anderson and Turcotte back with the team, Copley up from the AHL, Fiala to injures reserve.
And, Artemi Panarin is in black, white and silver with number 72 on his helmet. So that’s a nice also.
Much more to follow here, as the Kings return to practice over the next week or so. Expecting the team to be on the ice tomorrow and Friday as well, with five practice days in total for the team between their return earlier today and their first game coming out of the break on February 25 at home against Vegas.
