The Los Angeles Kings are set to start their preseason on Sunday afternoon against the Anaheim Ducks in the Empire Classic in Ontario. With the roster as deep as it is at this point, the Kings have split up the roster, and not everyone will be playing in this game.
Preseason opener is on Sunday evening for the Los Angeles Kings vs. the Anaheim Ducks
When looking at who is expected to be active for this game, these are four players that fans should pay extra attention to in this preseason game.
Brandt Clarke
This is a pivotal season for Brandt Clarke, and the moves made in the offseason have given him a huge opportunity to establish himself as the future cornerstone for this defense. In this game, Clarke is the only one active who is expected to be in the Top 6 with Drew Doughty, Mikey Anderson, Joel Edmundson, Cody Ceci, and Brian Dumoulin not on the roster.
Clarke not only needs to play well but really show he is in a tier all by himself. He should dominate this game with his play on the ice and really show off his skills not only in the defensive zone but on offense as well as the Kings' power play.
Henry Brzustewicz
In addition to Clarke, this is a game that fans should have interest in seeing how Henry Brzustewicz performs. He was the Kings first round pick in June and this is first preseason action with Los Angeles.
It will be a chance for Bruzstewicz to make a strong first impression before he eventually returns to the OHL, which is where he will be playing this upcoming season. What is interesting about this game is that he will likely be paired with the player he will play with this season in Jared Woolley, who was a sixth round pick by the Kings last year.
If the two play well together, it wouldn't be surprising to see them as a defensive pair for the Los Angeles Kings in the future.
Liam Greentree
The forwards have a few more players who should be on the Kings' roster this season, including Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte, Alex Laferriere, and Joel Armia. However, the player fans are probably anticipating the most is Liam Greentree.
The Kings' first-round pick last year has so much excitement after he had over 100 points in the OHL last season. The team doesn't really have a dynamic playmaker like Greentree in this offense and if he reaches his potential, it would change this offense.
The injury to Corey Perry has created the possibility of Greentree sticking with the Kings to start the regular season. Recently, Russell Morgan with The Hockey Royalty asked Hiller about his thoughts on that. The Kings' head coach wasn't fully committed to the idea and seemed to indicate that Greentree is thinking more than just playing hockey.
A strong performance in this game could go a long way to getting him closer to that opportunity to stay with the Kings instead of return to the OHL right away.