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Kings Assign Arthur Kaliyev To AHL On Conditioning Loan

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The Kings announced that they’ve assigned winger Arthur Kaliyev to AHL Ontario on a conditioning loan. It will be Kaliyev’s first game action since suffering a fractured clavicle in a preseason practice session.

The 23-year-old’s reassignment comes two months to the day after general manager Rob Blake said Kaliyev would be out of action for six to eight weeks. He’s been back at practice for over a month now but evidently needed a slightly longer recovery window to get back up to game speed.

It was a tough break to start the season for the 2019 second-round pick, who had asked for a trade over the summer. The 6’2″, 210-lb winger was a frequent healthy scratch last season and was limited to 15 points in 51 games while seeing under 12 minutes of ice time per night. A restricted free agent for most of the offseason, he signed a one-year, $825K deal in mid-September to attend training camp with the Kings but sustained the broken collarbone just a few days later.

There’s likely even less of a chance at regular playing time for Kaliyev now on the surging Kings, who have won five in a row and are second in the Pacific Division with a 16-8-3 record. There may, however, be an opportunity for him to challenge someone like enforcer Tanner Jeannot (3-2–5 in 24 GP) for a top-nine role if Los Angeles can’t find a new home for him on the trade market during his stint in Ontario, which will last up to two weeks. He will remain on injured reserve during that time.

Kaliyev last appeared in Ontario during the 2020-21 campaign, his first professional season. He led the team in scoring during the COVID-shortened campaign with 31 points (14 G, 17 A) in 40 appearances.

His showing on the farm over the next couple of weeks will allow the Kings to evaluate whether they still see a future for him within the organization, although a strong run on the farm could also help boost his trade value. Teams are certainly open for business earlier than usual – there have been seven trades over the past couple of weeks, including ones involving youngsters in need of fresh starts like David Jiříček and Philip Tomasino.

Kaliyev, a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at season’s end, has 35 goals and 36 assists for 71 points in 188 career appearances with the team. That’s on pace for 15 goals and 31 points over an 82-game season.

Kings’ Caleb Jones Clears Waivers, Reassigned To AHL

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12/9: The Kings organization confirmed Jones has successfully cleared waivers as the team announced they’ve reassigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

12/8: The Los Angeles Kings have placed defender Caleb Jones on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Jones was placed on injured reserve on November 15th, after sustaining an upper-body injury in November 13th’s loss to Colorado. He’s missed nine games since, nearly double the five games he’s played in so far this season. Jones hasn’t recorded any scoring thus far. This move will give him a chance to find his health, and scoring, with more minutes in the minor leagues.

Jones played in 12 AHL games last season – scoring six points – but has otherwise been a full-time NHL defender since the 2019-20 season. He’s played with four different clubs in that span, starting his career in 2018-19 with Edmonton. Jones gradually climbed the Oilers’ depth chart, working from the AHL, to a role as a routine call-up, then eventually becoming Edmonton’s seventh defender. He scored 19 points across three seasons and 93 games in Edmonton, all before the age of 23. That was enough promise to make Jones a focal piece in the trade that sent an aged Duncan Keith from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Edmonton Oilers. The Blackhawks continued to rotate Jones through the lineup, awarding him 51 games in 2021-22 and 73 games in 2022-23. He scored 15 and 16 points in the respective seasons, prompting Chicago to leave Jones unsigned in the 2023 off-season. He signed in Carolina, but was traded to Colorado before the start of the 2023-24 season. Jones continued to serve a minor role with the Avalanche, recording five assists in 25 NHL games and six assists in 12 AHL games.

Thomas Activated Off IR

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  • The Kings announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated forward Akil Thomas off injured reserve. The 24-year-old had missed the last week due to an undisclosed injury.  Thomas has been limited to just ten games so far in his first full NHL season and has a goal and an assist while logging a little more than 11 minutes a night of playing time.  Los Angeles had two open roster spots so no corresponding move was needed to bring Thomas back to the active roster.

Los Angeles Kings Reassign Andre Lee To AHL

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  • Per a team release from the Los Angeles Kings, Andre Lee has been papered down to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The move is strictly to capture more salary cap space for a Kings organization with limited space. Los Angeles doesn’t play against until Saturday when they take on the Minnesota Wild and the expectation is that Lee will re-join the team for that contest.

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Los Angeles Makes Several Roster Moves

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The Los Angeles Kings will have a different lineup tonight when they take on the Dallas Stars. The Kings organization announced they’ve activated netminder Darcy Kuemper from the team’s injured reserve, placed veteran forward Trevor Lewis on the injured reserve, and loaned goaltender Erik Portillo back to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

It was a relatively long hiatus for Kuemper on Los Angeles’ injured reserve. This was the second time this season that Kuemper landed on injured reserve, the first being from October 14 to October 26. This most recent stretch cost Kuemper seven consecutive games with backup netminder David Rittich being handed the starting role. The veteran netminder has managed a 4-2-3 record in 10 starts for the Kings this season though many of his starting goaltender peers have already recorded 20 or more starts.

Given the organization’s proximity to the salary cap ceiling and without a real need to keep three goaltenders on the roster, it was always likely Portillo would head back to Ontario, CA. He still made his NHL debut on November 29th against the Anaheim Ducks, picking up his first win in a near-flawless effort. Still, he’ll find more consistent playing time with the Reign this year where he’s already managed a 4-2-0 record with a .906 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average.

Similarly to Kuemper, Lewis’ time on the Kings’ injured reserve won’t be brief. The lower-body injury is expected to shelf the veteran forward for the next four to six weeks which will prohibit him from playing in his 1,000th career game for a month or more.

Los Angeles has sufficient forward depth to replace Lewis down the middle on the fourth line. The team will likely deploy prospect Samuel Helenius there for the time being but could like to give those minutes to Arthur Kaliyev once he’s activated from the injured reserve himself.

Los Angeles Kings Recall Three Players

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12/3: According to a team announcement, the Kings organization has recalled all three players back to Los Angeles as expected.

12/2: The Los Angeles Kings are trimming their roster to open up cap space with a three-day break before their next game. The organization announced they’ve reassigned Samuel Helenius, Andre Lee, and Jacob Moverare to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

Lee has the most playing time of the trio with 16 games already under his belt for this season. The 188th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft has tallied two assists on the year while operating in a fourth-line role in Los Angeles. He’s known more for his physicality than his offensive production as Lee ranks sixth on the team in hitting with 34 body checks handed out to opposing teams.

Moverare is the longest-tenured of the group as he’s entered his fifth professional season with the Kings organization. He’s suited up in 52 games for Los Angeles since the start of the 2021-22 NHL season but only has one goal and two assists to show for. The Ostersund, Sweden native has understandably performed much better in the AHL for the Reign scoring 10 goals and 71 points in 163 contests and an assist in three postseason contests.

The final member of the group heading back to the AHL is Helenius who was drafted 59th overall by the Kings in the 2021 NHL Draft and likely has the highest ceiling of the three reassignees. He’s collected two assists in nine games in Los Angeles this season while also scoring two goals and three points in eight games for AHL Ontario.

Los Angeles has four players (Arthur Kaliyev, Akil Thomas, Caleb Jones, and Darcy Kuemper), and an additional player (Drew Doughty) on the team’s long-term injured reserve. There is no indication any of the injured players will be activated before the Kings’ contest against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night so a few if not all of the trio should be back in Los Angeles in a couple of days.

Kings Recall Andre Lee, Place Akil Thomas On IR

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The Kings called up forward Andre Lee from AHL Ontario under emergency conditions on Friday, per a team announcement. Center Akil Thomas landed on injured reserve in a corresponding transaction to open a roster spot.

Lee, 24, returns to the NHL roster after spending most of the season with the big club. He didn’t quite crack the opening night roster but was recalled just a couple of days later, making his NHL debut and skating in 15 out of 18 contests after his recall.

The 6’5″, 206-lb winger didn’t make much of an impact offensively with two assists, but he did make his mark physically with 32 hits without being a significant drag on the Kings’ possession numbers. L.A. controlled 49.6% of shot attempts and 53.8% of expected goals with Lee on the ice at 5-on-5, perfectly serviceable stats for a fourth-line piece.

Selected in the seventh round in 2019, Lee had one assist and a +1 rating in a pair of appearances for Ontario over the past week and a half, his first pair of the season. The Karlstad, Sweden, native had a career-high eight goals and 13 points in 36 AHL games last season and signed a fresh two-way extension in June to avoid restricted free agency.

Meanwhile, Thomas lands on IR with an undisclosed ailment despite being listed as a healthy scratch for their last outing, a 4-1 win over the Jets. If he was banged up, they could make his placement retroactive to his last appearance on Nov. 25 against the Sharks, which means he’d be eligible to return next Wednesday against the Stars. He’ll miss at least two more games with the injury.

Thomas, 24, has been a frequent healthy scratch this season, only appearing in 10 of the Kings’ 23 games. He has a goal and an assist while averaging 11:07 per game. The 2018 second-round pick is fourth-worst on the team with a 50.0 CF% and has managed 14 shots on goal.

Evening Notes: Smith, McLaughlin, Oesterle, Portillo

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The Carolina Hurricanes have brought defender Ty Smith back to the NHL roster per NHL.com’s Walt Ruff. He was assigned to the minor leagues in a corresponding move to their recall of goaltender Yaniv Perets, who filled in while Pyotr Kochetkov was day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Smith has been back-and-forth between the NHL and AHL rosters all season, though he hasn’t played an NHL game since 2022-23. His only ice time this year has come through four games with the Chicago Wolves. Smith has three points, all assists, in those outings. Smith has a defined history in North American pros, originally going 17th-overall in the 2018 NHL Draft after a strong WHL career and making his NHL debut in 2020-21. He recorded 23 points in 48 games as a rookie, but has since failed to follow-up – with just 47 games across 123 career games. He’s spent the last two years fully in the minors, recording 67 points across 102 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Smith will now return to a role as Carolina’s seventh defender, hoping to fight for ice time above Sean Walker or Shayne Gostisbehere.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Boston Bruins have assigned forward Marc McLaughlin and defenseman Jordan Oesterle to the minor leagues per the AHL transactions log. The move was first reported by Robert Chalmers of Cohen’s Hockey Media. It’s unclear if the move is a paper move – though Chalmers suggests it could be lasting. Neither McLaughlin or Oesterle suited up in Boston’s Wednesday win over the Islanders. In fact, McLaughlin has only stepped into one Bruins game this season – Boston’s loss to Vancouver on Tuesday. He didn’t record any scoring in that outing but did add one block and three hits in 9:36 of ice time. Oesterle has served a bit hardier of a role – albeit as an injury fill-in for Hampus Lindholm – stepping into three games but yet to find his first point of the year. Oesterle’s only stat changes come through three blocks, three hits, and a -2. Both players will return to the minors, where McLaughlin has scored 10 points in 15 games and Oesterle has eight points in nine games.
  • Top Los Angeles Kings goalie prospect Erik Portillo is expected to make his NHL debut on Friday shares team manager of editorial content Zach Dooley. Portillo will take on an Anaheim Ducks with a 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games, though they’ve tied opponents in scoring 31-to-31. The Kings called Portillo up for the first full recall of his career on November 24th. He’s the only Ontario Reign goaltender with a save percentage above .900 – boasting a .906 through six AHL games this year. Portillo was more formally Ontario’s starter last year, recording 24 wins and a .918 through 39 games as an AHL rookie. He was a standout at the University of Michigan, accumulating a .918 save percentage over 87 games and three seasons with the Wolverines.

Kings Recall Samuel Helenius And Jacob Moverare

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San Jose Sharks forward Mikael Granlund will miss his second straight game and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury (as per Sharks beat writer Curtis Pashelka). The Sharks leading scorer took part in the team’s morning skate but will not play tonight against the Ottawa Senators.

Granlund is in his second season with San Jose and continues to produce offense with nine goals and 15 assists in 23 games. The 32-year-old likely won’t be out for long which is good news for the Sharks as Granlund is almost a certainty to be dealt before the NHL trade deadline.

In other Pacific Division notes:

  • The Vegas Golden Knights tweeted that forward William Karlsson and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo should play tonight’s against the Colorado Avalanche. Karlsson missed the first eight games of the season with a lower-body injury but missed Monday nights for the birth of his second child. The 31-year-old has been solid since returning to action, posting six goals and four assists in 13 games. Pietrangelo suffered an upper-body injury on November 20th in Toronto and has sat out the last three games. He has had a terrific start to the season, with 14 points in his first 19 games.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled forward Samuel Helenius and defenseman Jacob Moverare from the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League (as per AHL Transactions page).  The Kings have made several paper transactions with the two players as of late, trying to do what they can to maximize cap space. The 22-year-old Helenius has dressed in six NHL games this season for the Kings, posting two assists while averaging just over nine minutes a game. Moverare has gone scoreless in four games this season for Los Angeles, averaging a tick over 12 minutes of ice time per game.

Kings Recall Erik Portillo And Loan Pheonix Copley To AHL

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Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov has reportedly not suffered a serious injury and will be evaluated over the next few days (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet). The news comes after the 27-year-old sat out last night’s game against the Calgary Flames due to a lower-body injury. Kaprizov had an MRI that revealed no major issues, which is good news for a Wild team that have caught many by surprise this season.

Kaprizov appeared to be injured in Thursday’s game against the Oilers when he collided with Edmonton forward Drake Caggiula. He left the game briefly but did return to action and finished out the third period. Kaprizov has been dominant this season, registering 13 goals and 21 assists in 19 games thus far with a +16 plus/minus. The Wild currently sit in second place in the Central Division with a 13-3-4 record.

In other Western Conference notes:

  • Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now is reporting that forward Nico Sturm has rejoined the San Jose Sharks as a regular participant in practice. Sturm was placed on injured reserve back on November 18th with an upper-body injury and hasn’t played since November 14th against the New York Rangers. The 29-year-old played less than eight minutes a game in each of his last three appearances for the Sharks and has averaged a career-low 9:50 of ice time per game this season. Despite the nearly five-minute drop-in average ice time, as well as very difficult deployment, Sturm is having one of his finer offensive seasons with three goals and three assists in 18 games.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have reversed yesterday’s roster transaction as netminder Erik Portillo has been recalled from the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate the Ontario Reign while goaltender Pheonix Copley has been sent back down. The Kings made the opposite move yesterday, recalling Copley and demoting Portillo. Copley served as starter David Rittich’s backup yesterday against the Seattle Kraken while Portillo was rock solid for the Reign last night, stopping 33 of 34 shots to pick up the win after not playing for a week.

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