Andre Lee surprise replacement on Anze Kopitar's line but didn't last long
The Los Angeles Kings had to make some changes after Alex Turcotte left the game against the Nashville Predators early with an injury. Jim Hiller didn't seem overly concerned about the injury but Turcotte was not ready for tonight.
The Kings had some options to replace Turcotte as Alex Laferriere began the season in that left wing spot and then he was replaced by Quinton Byfield, who spent last season on that line, when they shuffled their lines. Both would have been logical with their familiarity to the spot however Hiller decided to give Andre Lee the opportunity.
The thought process for Hiller probably was to avoid disrupting the other lines but Lee averaged less than 10 minutes of ice time per game. However, the experiment didn't seem to last long as the Kings would shuffle the lines coming out in the second period and Fiala moved up to the top line with Akil Thomas replacing him on the second line.
Kings began the 2nd with their wingers shuffled:
— Jared Shafran (@ShafReign) November 6, 2024
Kempe - Kopitar - Fiala
Thomas - Danault - Moore
Foegele - Byfield - Laferriere
Jeannot - Lewis - Lee