Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Kings Rumors

Los Angeles Kings Activate Dustin Brown Off LTIR

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The Los Angeles Kings announced they have activated winger Dustin Brown off of LTIR Sunday and he is expected to make his season debut against the New York Rangers today. Brown’s return has come at a great time as the Kings have lost six in a row and sit at the bottom of the Pacific Division with a 2-7-1 record. Brown suffered a broken finger during a preseason game on Sept. 29 when he took a shot to his hand from teammate Anze Kopitar.

The 33-year-old Brown is coming off one of his best seasons in a number of years after tallying 28 goals and a career-high 33 assists for a career-high 61 points. Brown has played 1,045 in Los Angeles, but the once consistent 20-goal scorer had failed to break the 20-goal plateau since the 2011-12 season. Regarless, the Kings signed him to an eight-year, $57MM deal ($5.875MM AAV) extension back in 2013, which looked to be one of their worst long-term deals until his big season a year ago.

The team hopes it can get a boost with Brown back into the lineup. The team sent Michael Amadio back to the Ontario Reign of the AHL to make room on the roster for Brown. Amadio did get quite a bit of playing time for Los Angeles, playing in nine games. He averaged 11:07 of ATOI on the ice and had one goal.

According to CapFriendly, the Kings have enough cap room to activate Brown off LTIR and after recalling goaltender Peter Budaj and sending Amadio down, the team still has $347K in projected cap space. 

Kings’ Jonathan Quick Out Indefinitely With Lower-Body Injury

at CDT | by 1 Comment

The hits keep coming for the Los Angeles Kings. Already mired in a horrible start as they have a 2-7-1 record, including a six-game losing streak, the Kings are now going to be without star goaltender Jonathan Quick for an indefinite period of time. The goaltender suffered a lower-body injury and will be out Sunday and there is no current timetable for his return as he’s still being evaluated, according to NHL.com’s Dan Greenspan.

Quick is already coming off a injury in which he missed five straight games with a lower-body injury. Greenspan writes that this new injury is not related to the one from earlier this year. The 32-year-old Quick, normally one of the top goaltenders in the NHL, has struggled this year in limited action, especially since his returning from injury on Oct. 18. In four games this year, Quick has a 4.55 GAA and a .845 save percentage.

The Kings will start Jack Campbell on Sunday and he will serve as the starter in Quick’s place. Campbell has fared quite well this season as he boasts a .917 save percentage in seven appearances this year, including both the team’s victories this year and one shutout. The team has already recalled veteran goaltender Peter Budaj from the Ontario Reign of the AHL to serve as backup.

Minor Transactions: 10/26/18

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

All eyes are Colorado tonight to see the league’s hottest line back in action against the Ottawa Senators. Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen will welcome former Avalanche star Matt Duchene back to town for the first time since his trade last season, while trying to continue their winning ways. As always, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves teams make to get ready for tonight’s games and tomorrow’s full schedule:

  • The Los Angeles Kings have sent Sheldon Rempal back to the minor leagues, as Dustin Brown prepares for his return to the lineup. Rempal played in three games for the Kings but was held scoreless, something he hasn’t experienced in the minor league so far. Rempal has recorded at least a point in each of his first four AHL games with the Ontario Reign, and has a total of eight on the season. The 23-year old undrafted forward was signed out of Clarkson University after a breakout season.
  • With John Quenneville sent to the AHL, the New Jersey Devils have recalled Joey Anderson according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. Anderson would be making his NHL debut if he gets into a game, but Gulitti believes he’s only up as an insurance policy for Marcus Johansson who missed practice today with an illness. Anderson, a promising forward prospect for the Devils, has five points through his first eight professional games and may end up outplaying his third-round draft status with ease.

Department Of Player Safety Fines Kyle Clifford

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Department of Player Safety has been busy so far this year, and today handed out their latest punishment. Los Angeles Kings forward Kyle Clifford has been fined $4,301.08 for kneeing Jordan Greenway last night. That was the maximum allowable fine, but Clifford will avoid suspension altogether. Clifford stuck out his leg to trip Greenway in the middle of the ice and was penalized for it, and the fight that followed with Nick Seeler.

Though it won’t go down as a suspension, Clifford will be considered a repeat offender if anything else happens in the next 18 months. That means any supplementary discipline will end up costing him much more salary, and this fine will be taken into account for the rest of his career in any decisions from the Department of Player Safety. Really, it means that the Kings forward will need to avoid any suspect incidents or face increased punishment.

As for Greenway, he suffered no major injury on the play and was sent to the AHL for the next few games to get his play back on track. He’ll be back in Minnesota for their road trip next week.

Kings Hoping That Gabriel Vilardi Can Start Skating With The Team In The Near Future

at CDT | by 2 Comments

  • Kings center Gabriel Vilardi will be re-evaluated next week as he continues to work his way back from a back injury, notes Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. The 2017 first-round pick is currently on non-roster injured reserve but GM Rob Blake is hopeful that the 19-year-old can be integrated into practice with the team in the near future.  Once he gets the green light to play, Vilardi can play in up to nine games without burning the first year of his entry-level contract.  If the team decides to cut him, he has to be sent back to Kingston of the OHL as he’s not eligible to play in the AHL.

Alec Martinez Has Come Up In Trade Speculation

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

  • In an appearance on Insider Trading (video link), TSN’s Darren Dreger noted that Kings defenseman Alec Martinez has come up in trade speculation lately. Los Angeles has not gotten off to a particularly strong start this season which has led to an expectation that a move involving a notable player or head coach John Stevens will be made.  Martinez would certainly draw considerable interest around the league as a top-four player that can play the right side with a team-friendly cap hit of $4MM through the 2020-21 season.  Through nine games this season, the 31-year-old has a pair of assists while logging 21:28 per night of ice time.

Los Angeles Kings Send Jaret Anderson-Dolan Back To Junior

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Los Angeles Kings have decided that burning a year of Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s entry-level contract isn’t worth it at the moment, and have instead sent him back to the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL for the remainder of the season. Anderson-Dolan had played five games so far with the Kings, recording his first NHL point and getting a taste of what life is like in professional hockey. He’ll now return to the junior ranks and likely compete for a spot on Team Canada at the upcoming World Junior Championship. Los Angeles has recalled Sean Walker from the AHL to fill the roster spot.

Even though it may feel that way to him, this isn’t a critique of Anderson-Dolan’s play. The 19-year old forward was actually quite impressive in his short stint, limited as it was. The Kings have decided that averaging just over 11 minutes per night isn’t the optimal development strategy, and if they weren’t about to give him a boost in ice time, sending him back to Spokane was the only other option. Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times tweets that Kings head coach John Stevens didn’t want Anderson-Dolan sticking around in a losing culture, and noted that he’ll be the leader for his WHL team. The Kings are 2-5-1 through their first eight games, and currently have the second worst goal differential in the entire league.

For Kings fans, it will be hard to see Anderson-Dolan leave in the midst of such a poor start to the season by the team, but there are brighter days on the horizon. The young forward is part of a prospect group that should be making a substantial impact before long, alongside names like Gabe Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, Kale Clague and Akil Thomas. The World Juniors could be filled with Kings prospects this year, and give fans something to cheer for during what is looking like a down year.

Poll: What’s Next For The L.A. Kings?

at CDT | by 12 Comments

The Los Angeles Kings entered the 2018-19 season with high expectations, at least in-house that is. After landing prized veteran forward Ilya Kovalchuk and getting Jeff Carter and others back to full strength, the Kings and many of their fans and pundits felt that this was a team that could truly contend for the Stanley Cup.

Today, L.A. lost 5-1 to the Buffalo Sabres. On Thursday, they lost 7-2 to the New York Islanders. That’s a combined 12-3 result against two non-playoff teams from last season. The Kings are currently 2-5-1 and suffering through a four game losing streak with a combined score of 21-5. The team is 30th in goals per game and 27th in power play efficiency, continuing their scoring struggled from last season. Except now they are 23rd in goals against per game and 24th on the penalty kill, struggling to prevent goals for the first time in recent memory.

The problem is not anything short-term. Yes, Dustin Brown has yet to play this season and Jonathan Quick has missed time. Yes, Anze Kopitar, Tanner Pearson, and others will surely improve their production. However, these minor fixes are not solving the major problems.

Beat writer Jon Rosen reports that this has become increasingly clear to those in and around the organization early on this season. The team held a closed-door meeting after the game today, not long after defenseman Jake Muzzin told the press that the team plays without a passion to win and have “accepted being okay”. For his part, Rosen believes that the problems with the Kings may be more connected to what Muzzin stated, calling them “abstract issues” such as “identity and culture”.

Helene Elliott of the LA Times gives a more tangible opinion of the team’s shortcomings, blaming management for relying too much on an aging core from the team’s 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup runs. Meanwhile, the pace of the game has passed up that core, as youth and speed now dominate and the Kings instead rely on experience, structure, and a more old-fashioned style. Even those old hallmarks have begun to crumble, as the team has failed to find suitable secondary scoring and locker room leadership to support their struggling core.

So what next? There’s no easy answer. If playing style and leadership is what the team truly feels is their biggest flaw, perhaps head coach John Stevens needs to be replaced. If the core that the team has trusted in for so long is no longer up to snuff, the Kings could take a look at the trade value for a Muzzin or a Carter. Maybe the biggest issue is simply a lack of secondary support. Could the team simply replace aging checkers like Trevor Lewis and Kyle Clifford with young scoring prospects or trade acquisitions? Could the team get a good return for Pearson, who is beginning to look like a player who needs a change of scenery? Or maybe this is a problem with an internal solution if, as Rosen believes and Muzzin all but confirmed, this team is in need of an attitude shift and a dose of reality. Is this scenario reconcilable without major change, though?

The Kings are built like a perennial contender, with several expensive long-term contracts and even role players with lengthy contracts. The only problem is that they are built to win in a game that has passed them by and their current roster looks far from contending any time soon. Something needs to change. So what will it be?

What's Next For The L.A. Kings?
Major Trade 36.99% (317 votes)
Fire Head Coach John Stevens 33.96% (291 votes)
Internal Change - let the team work it out 19.14% (164 votes)
Minor Trade(s) 9.92% (85 votes)
Total Votes: 857

[Mobile users click here to vote]

Jordin Tootoo Announces Retirement

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Long-time NHL grinder Jordin Tootoo is set to be honored tonight by his junior team, the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, and again by the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow. Well, the 35-year-old got the weekend’s festivities off to a hot start this evening by officially announcing his retirement from pro hockey. The veteran of 723 NHL games missed all of last season due to injury and had not signed with any team this off-season. He now sets his sights on a new venture.

Tootoo, a long-time Nashville Predator, was selected in the fourth round of the 2001 NHL Draft. A two-way standout with the Wheat Kings and a member of Canada’s World Juniors team, Tootoo entered the league with high expectations. Although he never quite developed into a scoring threat at the NHL level, Tootoo made a living doing the dirty work: forechecking, winning battles along the boards, fighting for space in front of the net, and of course fighting. Tootoo’s hard work kept him in Nashville for eight years. In his final season with the team, his hard work earned him a career-high 13 minutes of ice time per night, which he turned into a career-best 30 points. That off-season, Tootoo signed with the Detroit Red Wings. He would suit up for two seasons apiece with Detroit and the New Jersey Devils before closing out his career in 2016-17 with the Chicago Blackhawks. In fact, Tootoo earned an extension from Chicago that would have played out last year, had it not been for an upper-body that kept him out all season. At the end of a 13-year NHL career, Tootoo totaled 65 goals, 96 assists, and over 1000 penalty minutes.

However, it is not Tootoo’s statistics that most will remember him for. It won’t even be his grit, his loyalty, or his work ethic. Instead, Tootoo will always be known for the impact he had on the indigenous populations of Canada. The first native Inuk to play in the NHL, Tootoo has devoted his career to advancing the game of hockey for indigenous peoples. It is an effort that has earned him respect and recognition across the league, even with a team he never played for – the Oilers – honoring his work. Tootoo will now turn his full attention to the mission that means so much to him. Tootoo has already done so much, but just as the hard-working veteran played on the ice, there is always more to do.

Edmonton Oilers Place Matt Benning On Injured Reserve

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Edmonton Oilers are set to make some changes on the back end, at least for the time being. The team announced today that they have placed defenseman Matt Benning on the injured reserve. The nature of Benning’s injury has not been disclosed and the team gave no timeline for a return, but the injury did occur in last night’s game against the Boston Bruins and his IR assignment means Benning will miss at least ten days and the Oilers’ next five games. In a corresponding move, Kevin Gravel has been recalled from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

Benning’s injury is somewhat ironic. The 24-year-old blue liner was actually the aggressor on a questionable hit up high on Boston forward David Backes early in Thursday night’s 3-2 overtime win for Edmonton (video). Benning received neither a penalty nor a second look from the league on the hit, which sent Backes to the locker room for the the remainder of the period. Backes returned later on, yet it was Bruins draft pick Benning ruled out not long after with an undisclosed injury. Now, Benning lands on the injured reserve even though he nearly landed a serious head shot on Backes. It is worth noting that Benning, teammate Ty Rattie, and Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller all left last night’s chippy contest.

Benning’s absence will allow free agent addition Gravel the chance to re-establish himself at the NHL level. A signing from the Los Angeles Kings, Gravel fully expected to have a role in Edmonton to begin this season. However, the emergence of rookie Evan Bouchard and a successful tryout from veteran Jason Garrison forced Gravel down to the AHL to begin the year. A physical, stay-at-home defender, Gravel has skated in 70 NHL games over the past three seasons and contributed 93 hits and 84 blocked shots as a gritty presence on the back end. The 26-year-old brings a different skill set from Benning, but should provide an edge and a solid game in his own end for the Oilers while he replaces his injured teammate. A strong showing could earn Gravel a long-term stay in Edmonton.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top