Kopitar And Armia Day-To-Day
- Kings center Anze Kopitar (lower body) and winger Joel Armia (upper body) are listed as day-to-day, per Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider (Twitter link). The injuries were sustained in Monday’s game against Minnesota. Kopitar has 21 points in 37 games in his final season while Armia has 16 points in 41 outings in his first season with them after coming over from Montreal in free agency. If one of them can’t play on Wednesday against San Jose, they do have an open roster spot available.
Jack Johnson Announces Retirement
Johnson’s professional career began in 2005 when he was selected with the third overall pick of the 2005 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, behind Sidney Crosby and Bobby Ryan. Just over a year after being drafted, the Hurricanes traded Johnson and Oleg Tverdovsky to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Tim Gleason and Éric Bélanger.
Before joining the Kings at the end of the 2006-07 season, Johnson played two years at the University of Michigan in the NCAA, where he scored 26 goals and amassed 71 points in 74 games.
Los Angeles quickly rewarded Johnson for his breakout, signing the young blue liner to a seven-year, $30.5MM extension in early January of 2010. Unfortunately, his tenure with the Kings wouldn’t last much longer.
Looking to add a top-six center, the Kings traded Johnson, along with a 2013 first-round pick, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Jeff Carter. Carter played a crucial role in the Kings’ first Stanley Cup championship later that year, while Johnson experienced the best years of his career with Columbus.
Bob Pulford Passes Away
Hall-of-Fame player and executive Bob Pulford has passed away, the NHL Alumni Association said. He was 89 years old.
An Ontario native, Pulford is one of the most integral figures in franchise history for his hometown team. He spent his playing days as a center and left winger after breaking into the league with the Maple Leafs in 1956-57, eventually becoming a five-time All-Star and one of the top penalty-killing forwards of the late Original Six era.
More than 55 years after Pulford played his last game for the Leafs, he still ranks quite high on the franchise leaderboard. He’s seventh in games played (947), 11th in goals (251), and 11th in points (563). He led Toronto with 10 assists in 12 playoff games in the Leafs’ last Stanley Cup victory in 1967, the fourth and final title of his career after winning three straight with the Leafs from 1962-64.
Pulford was traded to the Kings in 1970 and spent the final two seasons of his career in Los Angeles. While his offensive production wasn’t at its peak, he captained the Kings in his final season as a player in 1971-72 before beginning his arguably more impactful off-ice career as their head coach the following season.
As the sixth head coach for the Kings in their first six seasons, Pulford oversaw the team’s first sustained period of relevance. He posted a 178-150-68 record (.535) over five regular seasons, winning Coach of the Year honors in 1975 and beginning a streak of nine consecutive playoff appearances that still stands as a franchise record.
In 1977, the Blackhawks tabbed Pulford to serve as both their head coach and GM. That hiring would kick off a 30-year run for Pulford in Chicago – during which time he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player as part of the class of 1991 – that saw the franchise make the playoffs 22 times.
His roles were varied. Pulford had four separate stints as the Hawks’ head coach (1977-79, 1981-82, 1984-87, 1999-00), often taking over as the interim boss midseason when someone was fired. Those often overlapped with four stints as GM (1977-90, 1992-97, 1999-00, 2003-05). When he wasn’t either of those things, he served as the club’s senior VP of hockey operations until he transitioned to working for the Hawks’ parent company in 2007, no longer directly affiliated with the team.
Pulford was also the first head of the NHLPA, elected to the role in 1967 and holding it until Ken Dryden took over presidential duties in 1972.
All of us at PHR send our condolences to the Pulford family and the many in the hockey community who worked with him.
Kings Activate Darcy Kuemper, Reassign Pheonix Copley
The Los Angeles Kings will have a major piece back in the lineup when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. 2025 Vezina Trophy finalist Darcy Kuemper has been activated off of injured reserve after missing the last six games and 15 days with an upper-body injury. He returned to practice on Saturday. To make room for Kuemper’s return, the Kings have reassigned depth goaltender Pheonix Copley.
Kuemper could be eased back into Los Angeles’ lineup over their upcoming four-game home stretch. He has continued to be an elite option in net for the Kings, posting 10 wins and a .917 save percentage in the 23 games he has played in this season. That’s narrowly in-line with the .921 save percentage that Kuemper recorded in 50 games last season, while again battling routine injury. He earned a third-place finish in Vezina Trophy voting – and a top-20 finish in Hart Trophy voting – with that performance.
Overall, Kuemper has averaged a .920 save percentage over the last two seasons, tying him with Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for the highest in the NHL. He also has seven shutouts in that span, tied for second in the league behind Hellebuyck, Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky, and Minnesota’s Filip Gustavsson who all have eight.
The Kings have struggled significantly in Kuemper’s absence. They posted a 2-4-0 record and 16-to-20 goal differential since his injury, while leaning on Anton Forsberg as their starter. Forsberg has totaled a 6-6-3 record and .901 save percentage in his first season with the Kings. He held the lion’s share of minutes while Kuemper was out, though Copley did appear in one game. Los Angeles lost that game while Copley recorded a .893 Sv%. That is narrowly above the .885 Sv% he has recorded in 13 AHL games this season. With this move, Copley will have a chance to boost up those minor-league numbers, while Los Angeles get a much-needed upgrade in net.
Darcy Kuemper Returns To Practice
- In a positive update for the Anaheim Ducks, center Leo Carlsson‘s lower-body injury from earlier in the week will only cost him one game. In an article this morning, Derek Lee of The Hockey News confirmed that Carlsson would return to the lineup tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. Aside from an external addition, there truly couldn’t be better news for the Ducks, who are tied for the lead in the Pacific Division after several difficult seasons. Carlsson is leading that effort, scoring 17 goals and 41 points in 34 games as Anaheim’s leading scorer.
- On the flip side of tonight’s matchup, netminder Darcy Kuemper will miss a fifth consecutive game for the Kings due to an upper-body injury. Fortunately, that absence shouldn’t last too much longer. Team reporter Zach Dooley shared earlier that Kuemper had returned to practice for the Kings, joining the team for their morning skate.
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Hurricanes Reportedly Tried To Swap Kotkaniemi For Danault
In a recent episode of Oilersnation Everyday, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported on a recent trade that didn’t go through. Pagnotta suggested that before ultimately dealing him to the Montreal Canadiens, the Los Angeles Kings had conversations regarding Phillip Danault with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Even more fascinating about Pagnotta’s report is that the Hurricanes wanted to include former third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the package for Danault. The Kings were reportedly less turned off by Kotkaniemi’s $4.82MM salary than they were by the five years remaining on his contract.
Presently, the savings would have been negligible at best. Kotkaniemi is earning roughly $680K less than Danault for this year and next, which wouldn’t even have been enough for Los Angeles to recall another player making the league minimum salary if they needed. Additionally, since Kotkaniemi’s contract runs three years longer than Danault’s, the Kings would have added around $14.5MM in future costs.
There isn’t much separation in their offensive contributions either, despite Danault’s disappointing start to the year. Kotkaniemi has two goals and six points in 20 games for the Hurricanes this season, whereas Danault registered five assists in 30 games before the trade. Furthermore, Danault has the edge in faceoff percentage and on-ice save percentage at even strength, which are critical metrics for supposed middle-six centers.
All that suggests that the Hurricanes were merely looking to include Kotkaniemi in what would have been a larger package. Carolina doesn’t own their second-round pick this season, but could have attached next year’s second-rounder, or even one of their additional thirds, in a package with Kotkaniemi.
Still, the scrapped trade for Danault is at the very least indicative of how the Hurricanes view Kotkaniemi. As the upper limit of the salary cap continues to rise and Carolina keeps most of their core on relatively team-friendly contracts, Kotkaniemi’s deal isn’t as much of a drain as it has been in years past. However, given the value he provides, or lack thereof, it’s unsurprising to see a competitive team like the Hurricanes looking to move him for an upgrade.
Any deal involving Kotkaniemi will likely be for another underperforming player, similar to Danault’s situation in Los Angeles. Despite not living up to his draft selection, he’s only 25 years old, and some teams may believe they’ll have a chance to squeeze the last bit of development out of him.
Latest On Darcy Kuemper
Earlier today Zach Dooley, Manager of Editorial Content for the Kings, shared that Darcy Kuemper returned to practice and faced shots, working 1-on-1 with the team’s goaltender coach.
Los Angeles’ #1 netminder landed on injured reserve six days ago, after exiting mid-game with an apparent head injury, as Stars forward Mikko Rantanen fought to create a screen, and they collided. In the meantime, veteran Anton Forsberg has held things down, including a great performance in a win over Tampa Bay, and one loss to Florida. Phoenix Copley, once a Kings full-timer, was called up from the AHL but has yet to see action. Forsberg, 33, is a serviceable backup who had success at times over the past few seasons in Ottawa, but is still working to reach expectations from his two year deal worth $2.25MM inked over the summer with the silver and black.
Kuemper, now 35, has been a tremendous fit with the Kings. Originally a sixth-round pick, and eventually a Stanley Cup Champion, the Saskatoon native has been a model of determination throughout many highs and lows in his career. He has a .917 save percentage on the season, ranking among the league’s best. Thankfully, it appears Kuemper is gearing up for a return soon.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Jimmy Lombardi To Entry-Level Contract
The Los Angeles Kings have signed prospect forward Jimmy Lombardi to a three-year entry-level contract, according to an announcement from Lombardi’s agent Dan Milstein as well as a team announcement. This news will coincide with Lombardi decomitting from the Big Ten’s University of Michigan – where he was slated to play next season – per Matthew Auchincloss of Michigan Daily Sports.
Lombardi, who turns 19 in February, was a fourth-round pick (No. 125 overall) by the Kings at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The No. 29 overall pick at the 2023 OHL Priority Selection, Lombardi scored 13 goals and 45 points for the Flint Firebirds in his draft year, ending the draft season with mixed rankings from public-facing scouting outlets. He was ranked as high as No. 59, by McKeen’s Hockey, and as low as No. 120, by Future Considerations. NHL Central Scouting ranked Lombardi No. 84 among North American skaters.
The Kings ultimately landed Lombardi a little bit later than his rankings from public sources. The early returns from their fourth-round choice have been uniformly positive. Lombardi entered the season ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the Kings’ system according to the team at Elite Prospects, and his performance in the OHL so far this season has likely increased his stock notably.
Flint is currently one of the top offensive teams in the OHL, led by New York Rangers prospect Nathan Aspinall, who leads the entire OHL in scoring. Lombardi’s 21 goals and 41 points tie for eighth in league scoring, alongside four other players, two of whom were first-round draft picks.
It’s entirely plausible that Lombardi’s jump in production was enough to motivate the Kings to sign Lombardi to his entry-level deal. What’s somewhat curious about this signing is the impact it has on his development path. Lombardi announced a commitment to play college hockey at the University of Michigan in June that he will now forgo.
That does not come as a huge surprise, of course, as the fact that he is now signed to his entry-level deal eliminates the possibility of Lombardi heading to the NCAA. While the door now appears to be open for players who have signed pro contracts in lower leagues such as the ECHL to play college hockey — Bemidji State, for example, now rosters 2021 Calgary Flames pick Jack Beck, who has 40 games of pro experience across the ECHL and AHL — there does not appear to be the same possibility for a player who signs an NHL deal.
While it’s often wise to not read too much into the simple signing of a prospect to an entry-level deal, Lombardi’s signing, due to his prior commitment to the Wolverines, does suggest something about how the organization — or Lombardi himself — views his pro readiness. Starting next season, NHL teams are expected to be able to loan one 19-year-old player to the AHL, under the terms of a new agreement between the league and the CHL.
Lombardi would have traditionally been ineligible to play in the AHL until 2027-28, due to the fact that he will turn 20 in February 2027. Under the new rule, the Kings could elect to make Lombardi their one allotted 19-year-old AHL reassignment, and today’s ELC signing paves the way for Lombardi to be able to do so.
Of course, it’s also possible that Lombardi plays in the OHL until the traditional point of becoming AHL-eligible, rendering this whole aspect of the conversation moot. But given the evolving dynamics of player development across the hockey world, these are aspects of ELC signings that are worth considering.
Pro Hockey Rumors’ Gabriel Foley also contributed to this article.
Canadiens Acquire Phillip Danault
A familiar face has returned to Montreal, as the Canadiens have announced that they have acquired Kings forward Phillip Danault in exchange for the Blue Jackets’ 2026 second-round pick.
Los Angeles finds a new home for Danault, just an hour before the holiday roster freeze kicks in. The Kings had been examining trade options for the veteran middleman over the past few weeks amid one of the more difficult offensive stretches of his career. In 30 games this season, he’s yet to score a goal and has only mustered five assists.
Defensive acumen was always the highlight of the 32-year-old’s game, though. That hasn’t trailed off at all, with the 6’1″ pivot still managing a +3 rating in tough deployment despite the lack of offensive production going through him on the ice thus far. The paucity of goal-scoring also shouldn’t be conflated with a lack of trying. He’s averaging 2.93 shot attempts per game, slightly below his career average but far from a career-low.
The Kings were left with something of an excess of down-the-middle depth, too. Moving Quinton Byfield back to center had shifted Danault to a third-line role at even strength after shouldering duties as L.A.’s second-line center behind Anže Kopitar ever since his arrival in Hollywood in free agency in 2021. The Habs, who have long been looking to add an impact top-nine center as their rebuild draws to a close, were in even more dire need of help down the middle after losing center options Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook to injuries.
They won’t find the offensive needle-mover they were looking for in Danault, but he’s still a meaningful upgrade in the No. 2 slot behind captain Nick Suzuki over rookie Oliver Kapanen, at least in terms of two-way play. Assuming he is deployed there by head coach Martin St. Louis and gets extensive playing time with Calder Trophy candidate Ivan Demidov, Danault’s point production should come back alive.
Danault’s inclusion should also provide a meaningful boost to the Habs’ underlying numbers. Kapanen and Demidov have controlled 49.1% of expected goals with Newhook on their left flank and a horrid 38% with Juraj Slafkovsky in that slot at 5-on-5 this season. Danault hasn’t recorded a sub-50 xGF% since his rookie season, split between Chicago and Montreal back in 2015-16.
Aside from the obvious fit, as underscored by the Habs’ reported interest, it’s a feel-good story to reunite Montreal with its top center during their last deep playoff run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. That was the last of Danault’s six seasons in Montreal during his first run there, often used as their top-line anchor alongside Brendan Gallagher, including a career-high 41 assists in the 2018-19 season. He was top 10 in Selke Trophy voting in each of his final three seasons for the Habs and recorded 194 points in 360 games for them.
He’s now set to add to that total as the Habs only need to part ways with one of two second-rounders they were ticketed to hold in next year’s draft. They retain their own selection, parting ways with a pick they acquired from Columbus in the Patrik Laine deal.
The Kings won’t be enthused with the return. Danault is cost-controlled through next season at $5.5MM, and L.A. was hoping to make any trade a player-for-player swap rather than taking back futures. Nonetheless, it was becoming clear the Kings wanted a quick resolution, short of Danault outright asking for a trade, giving themselves time to flip the pick for a replacement on the other side of the roster freeze if they so choose.
PHR’s Josh Erickson contributed significantly to this article.
Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Kings Attempting To Trade Danault For Goal-Scorer
- Despite currently owning the top wild-card spot in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Kings have the fifth-worst offense in the league, averaging 2.55 GF/G. With a need for goal scoring, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period suggests that the team is attempting to use Phillip Danault to address that need. Still, at face value, the idea doesn’t make much sense. Few rebuilding clubs would require a 32-year-old center, and contending teams would be hard-pressed to part with their goal scorers, especially for a center that has registered only five assists through his first 30 games this season. The Kings would be better suited to use whatever assets they can get for Danault in a separate trade for a scoring forward.
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