The Kings traveled to Quebec City on Tuesday ahead of their first of two exhibition games in La Vieille Capitale, which pitted them against the Boston Bruins.
While there will be feel-good vibes for Quebecois Kings like center Phillip Danault and executive Luc Robitaille, there will be some intense competition as the black and silver concretize their opening-night roster.
They trimmed their group down to 26 players, and with the all-but-certain reassignment of No. 3 goalie Pheonix Copley, that left 25 players competing for 23 slots.
“There’s not a lot of spots, we know that. We know some of the veteran players have their spots, but there’s still some competition there,” Coach Jim Hiller said after a 4-0 victory over the Ducks on Monday. “To be on the team, there’s some competition, more competition than I thought there would be.”
Defenseman Jacob Moverare, who had an assist in that same game, cleared waivers on Wednesday and was reassigned to the minors. With Drew Doughty sidelined by a broken ankle, that left eight defensemen in camp. Mikey Anderson, Brandt Clarke, Joel Edmundson, Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence seem like locks, while Kyle Burroughs, Andreas Englund and Caleb Jones round out the group.
Burroughs shoots right-handed and Jones can play either side effectively, while Englund dressed in every game for the Kings last season. Conceivably, they could all make the roster, assuming the Kings were willing to carry just one additional forward. When asked how the Kings’ investment in Joel Edmundson impacted Englund’s role, Hiller was noncommittal early in camp.
While the Kings’ top nine appeared all but chiseled in granite, veteran Trevor Lewis and a trio of players with limited NHL experience –– Samuel Fagemo, Akil Thomas and Alex Turcotte –– appeared to have the inside track on the spots for fourth-liners and at least one depth forward. That’s particularly true with winger Arthur Kaliyev being out with a broken collarbone.
Another part-timer at the top level, newcomer Jack Studnicka and his 107 games of NHL seasoning, and an up-and-comer, physically imposing prospect Andre Lee, also remained in contention for a roster spot.
Whether the Kings carry seven or eight defensemen, they’ll have to send down at least one forward before kicking off the campaign in Buffalo on Oct. 10 and then facing these same Bruins two days later.
Boston’s training camp has been defined by the ongoing stalemate between the organization and its young star goalie, Jeremy Swayman.
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A war of words including Boston’s team president, former power forward Cam Neely, suggesting Swayman had “64 million reasons” to be in camp and a rebuttal from Swayman’s agent averring that no such offer had been made.
The Bruins traded their veteran goalie, 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, to the Ottawa Senators this past summer. The Kings had reportedly expressed interest in Ullmark, who had significant trade protection and preferred to stay in the Eastern Conference.
The Kings had previously relied on his stand-in, Joonas Korpisalo, whom the Bruins acquired from Ottawa along with a first-round pick and Mark Kastelic.
Boston also claimed former Vegas Golden Knights goalie Jiri Patera off waivers on Wednesday, another signal that Swayman’s contract dispute might protract even further.
