LA Kings: Three best training camp battles to follow
LA Kings training camp officially opened on Thursday. Here are the three best position battles to monitor before the season opens.
General Manager Rob Blake spoke with LA Kings media on Wednesday ahead of the team’s training camp officially opening up on Thursday morning. He primarily discussed the organization’s plans for Quinton Byfield and some of the other top prospects, whose respective league’s schedules are in limbo. Byfield and Arthur Kaliyev, of course, would likely have joined their OHL clubs under normal circumstances, but the tentative February 4 start date has been pushed back.
Alex Turcotte will begin the year with the Ontario Reign of the AHL. Several questions came up during Blake’s Zoom call regarding whether the AHL would allow exemptions for players who don’t meet the age requirements for a place to play in 2021. Nothing is official, but that could potentially be one avenue, or the LA Kings could add Byfield and Kaliyev to the taxi squad. But again, they would have to be AHL-eligible.
Still, Blake was adamant that the organization would not be burning a year of their entry-level contracts, but they could see some time while remaining under the seven-game threshold. Of course, doing so presents some unique challenges in that Byfield and Kaliyev would likely be limited to practices with the NHL squad until they find permanent homes in other leagues.
Does that benefit their development? Possibly, but it’s likely best for them to get regular playing time. So as the LA Kings players find their footing in training camp, running through the drills, players will start to separate themselves for the Opening Night roster. Here are the three best position battles to monitor in camp.
The LA Kings recently added Andreas Athanasiou. Where does he fit in?
With the LA Kings top two forward lines primarily set heading into the 2021 season, players have several opportunities. Trevor Lewis, Kyle Clifford, and Nikolai Prokhorkin‘s departures opened avenues for younger players to garner regular playing time in the bottom-six forward lines.
Of course, Andreas Athanasiou was signed to a one-way contract, so his spot on the roster is guaranteed. He likely makes sense to slot in along the third line left-winger with Blake Lizotte and Jeff Carter. But players like Carl Grundstrom and Samuel Fagemo, who have been playing overseas during the pause, could potentially have an edge.
They’ve been off for the last couple of weeks making their way to Los Angeles and quarantining before camp, but less time will be required for them to get their sea legs back. Fagemo, of course, had a breakout WJC tournament a year ago, propelling him to the top of the LA Kings’ prospect pool.
Before returning to the states, Fagemo had collected six goals and 11 points in 18 games for Södertälje. Other players like Matt Luff, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Trevor Moore, and Michael Amadio will be jockeying for a few open spots. The implementation of the six-player maximum taxi squad certainly makes it easier to carry AHL-eligible players throughout the year.
The LA Kings added Olli Maatta to help Drew Doughty. What about the young LHD on the second and third pairings?
On the Zoom call, Rob Blake made it clear that Drew Doughty needs to play better this season after posting back-to-back lackluster years. The organization acquired Olli Maatta from the Chicago Blackhawks to give Doughty a true top pairing partner after playing with Ben Hutton in 19-20. If Drew Doughty can return to Norris Trophy form, the LA Kings will be in much better shape than the last couple of seasons.
LAK GM Rob Blake expects far better from Drew Doughty this season.
— Dennis Bernstein (@DennisTFP) December 31, 2020
Cites having better players around him (specifically named Olli Maatta, Mikey Anderson) to raise his level from the past two lackluster seasons.
Blake also confirmed the LA Kings are expected to rotate Kale Clague and Tobias Bjornfot through the season. The latter played the first three games on the top pairing with Doughty but was sent down to the Ontario Reign for the remainder of the year. Doughty indicated that he likes playing with Bjornfot, so perhaps there’s a future pairing.
However, there is a lot of youth along the left side of the defense behind Maatta in Clague, Bjornfot, and Mikey Anderson. The latter played in six games last season, displaying terrific defense with well-timed poke checks to disrupt offensive rushes. He also tallied a goal and is expected to be a leader one day along the blue line.
The former Minnesota-Duluth defenseman will likely see regular playing time in the 2021 season — it’s just a matter of if he’ll be paired with Matt Roy or Sean Walker.
The LA Kings must carry three goalies all year. Who will get the final job?
Two things are for certain in net. Jonathan Quick will be the starter, but Cal Petersen is likely to see a big chunk of games in net. After the LA Kings traded Jack Campbell, Petersen played admirably in eight games, posting a 2.64 GAA and .922 SV%. Per the training camp roster, five goalies have been invited to camp.
Troy Grosenick, Matt Villalta, and Jacob Ingham will have the opportunity to separate themselves in scrimmages and make a case for being carried on the taxi squad. Grosenick was expected to be a depth piece for the Ontario Reign, but the new rule for the 2021 season likely gives the 31-year-old an edge for the final position.
Ingham is still just 20 years of age, and while it’s a small sample size, he did not look sharp in the two games in ECHL this season. Villalta could step into a full-time role with the Ontario Reign this season or, with a brilliant camp, could carve out a role for himself at the NHL level. With the Reign, the 21-year-old Villata posted a 3.27 GAA and .899 SV% in 22 games last year.
Due to Grosenick’s age and therefore experience, he’s probably in line for the third goalie on the roster, but the battle will be intriguing to monitor nonetheless.