Los Angeles Kings: Roster Cuts and Who is Left

The Los Angeles Kings announced 18 players were released from their pro tryout or sent down to their AHL affiliate — Ontario. Talk about a big roster cut! Catch the full list of cuts over at LA Kings Insider. Moving forward, the questions lingering are — Who is left? Who still has a chance to make the team?

Let’s take a look at a quick list of who is still competing for a position on the pro roster. Those who have been a regular NHL’er will be excluded from this list as well as goaltenders because I think Enroth is positioned best for NHL time for obvious reasons:

Centers:
Brian O’Neill
Jake Marchment
Michael Armadio
Jordan Weal

Wingers:
Spencer Watson (RW)
Michael Mensch (LW)
Austin Wagner (LW)
Matthew Mistele (LW)
Sam Laberge (LW)
Matt Schmalz (RW)

Defense:
Vincent LoVerde
Jacob Middleton
Jared Walsh
Chaz Reddekopp
Damir Sharipzyanov
Derek Forbort

Clearly, there isn’t enough room for all the players mentioned above. The typical NHL roster will have 23-24 players on it during the season. Last year’s roster accounts for 19 of those spots barring any injuries. The one player in question is Jordan Nolan due to the rolling of his ankle, but it looks like he’s about to make his pre-season debut.

That leaves a maximum of 5 spots open on the roster. And to be more specific, 3 offensive spots and 2 on defense.

Here’s who is most likely to land the 3 offensive spots: Andy Andreoff, Jordan Weal, Brian O’Neill, Michael Mersch.

Here’s who is most likely to land the 2 defense openings: Jeff Schultz, Jamie McBain, Derek Forbort.

My thoughts? Of the forwards, I think Mersch will be sent down for one more season of development at the AHL level. Andreoff seems to have already secured a spot on the roster by playing with the Kings at the NHL level last season. Weal and O’Neill were MVP’s in the AHL last year and are clearly NHL ready. I even wonder if it means the Kings will make a trade to open a spot for those guys since the Kings are in much need of offensive production. Maybe this means one of those grinders like King, Lewis, or Clifford become trade bait?

And on defense, I think Schultz and McBain have the edge on Forbort simply because of the inconsistency on the back end last season. The Kings need some veteran presence on the blue line to bring some stability and with Schultz/McBain having NHL experience, they seem to be a better fit for current needs.

Plus, the Kings don’t have a history of taking “risks” with their roster. That means they have shown they’re more likely to pick the NHL experienced player over the rookie…for good or for bad. The last time we saw a rookie make the roster without any development at an AHL level was Kyle Clifford back in 2010-11. He came in as a 19 year old fresh from playing at a junior level in the OHL.

Enough of what I think? Who would you like to see make the team? Do you think a trade is coming?

Next: Los Angeles Kings: Jordan Weal Making an Impact

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