Snapshots: Carter, Stars, Kamenev

The Los Angeles Kings changed the look of their defense corps with the acquisition of Dion Phaneuf, but are reportedly still interested in bringing in a forward to help them increase their offense. That offense has struggled for much of the season, and sits 17th in the league in terms of goals for. Luckily, that all could change very soon even without an outside addition.

According to Josh Cooper of LA Kings Insider (temporarily at least) Jeff Carter is hopeful to return to practice after the Kings’ current road trip, which ends after their Tuesday matchup in Winnipeg. If Carter is able to get back in the lineup soon after that, he will give the team a huge offensive boost up the middle. The 33-year old center is coming off three straight 60+ point seasons, including leading the team with 32 goals in 2016-17. He’s played just six games this year, and is probably the best trade deadline acquisition the Kings could make.

• The Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate has announced extensions for both head coach Derek Laxdal and assistant coach Karl Taylor, guaranteeing them another year with the Texas Stars. The team is 25-18-7 this season, but has graduated several players to the NHL in the past few years. Laxdal, a former NHL forward, has coached teams at both the ECHL and WHL levels to championships and won a Calder Cup as a player.
• Adrian Dater of BSN Denver reports that Vladislav Kamenev has been activated and will head to the San Antonio Rampage to start playing again. Kamenev broke his arm in his first game with the Colorado Avalanche after being acquired in the Matt Duchene deal, but is a good two-way forward prospect for the team that could help down the stretch. With Colorado still fighting for a playoff spot, a player like Kamenev could make a name for himself with some big contributions over the next few months.