LA Kings: Three players who could sneak onto the Opening Night roster
By Ryan Sikes
1. Arthur Kaliyev
How Kaliyev fell to the second round in the 2019 draft is a question that will be asked for years. He’s a legitimate scoring threat who can help the Kings with their scoring woes. The club finished fourth in Corsi-for percentage last year, but they couldn’t finish. Only the Red Wings had fewer goals.
Kaliyev presents a pure shooter with an NHL-ready shot. The 19-year-old tallied 95 goals over the last two seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL. He features excellent vision as well, as displayed by his 105 assists over that same span.
While most of the Kings’ media projects him beginning the year for the Ontario Reign, a solid training camp can propel Kaliyev into the third line with Blake Lizotte and Jeff Carter to begin the season.