Tough to understand thought process for not have seven defensemen
For most of the season, the Los Angeles Kings have had 11 forwards and seven defensemen active for games. They only recently went with more forwards and narrowed the defensive rotation to a more traditional 12 forwards and six defensemen.
With the return of Drew Doughty, it seemed like it would make a lot of sense to return to the 11/7 split to give Doughty some rest in his first game during the 2024-25 season. However, the Kings decided to stick with the 12/6 split and in the process made the questionable decision to make Brandt Clarke a healthy scratch.
The decision did have Akil Thomas active for this game and the Kings probably were hoping for more offensive production. The reason the move was questionable is that Clarke at this point of the season probably brings more offensively than Thomas.