- Kings center Phillip Danault has changed agents. Octagon’s Allan Walsh announced (Twitter link) that he is now representing the 31-year-old who was previously repped by Newport’s Don Meehan. Walsh won’t be having to worry about contract talks for a while, however, as Danault is signed through the 2026-27 season at a $5.5MM AAV. He’s off to a bit of a quiet start offensively this season with just three assists through his first eight games. However, he has recorded at least 47 points in five of the last six seasons.
Kings Rumors
Kings Activate Darcy Kuemper, Reassign Pheonix Copley
Netminder Darcy Kuemper’s time on the injured reserve is ending. The Los Angeles Kings announced they’ve activated Kuemper off injured reserve and reassigned goaltender Pheonix Copley in a corresponding roster move. This move puts Kuemper in line to make the start tonight as the Kings take on their rivals, the San Jose Sharks.
Kuemper’s been on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury suffered during a difficult start against the Ottawa Senators on October 14th. His first two starts back with the Kings organization were exceptional with Kuemper 56 of 59 shots against the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins to the tune of a .949 save percentage. Kuemper more than doubled his goals against in the contest against Ottawa allowing eight goals on 41 shots in an overtime loss.
The team’s goaltending has been a mixed bag since Kuemper went on the injured reserve. The combination of David Rittich and Copley allowed 14 goals in four games but 12 of those goals came in two separate games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights. Kuemper, assuming he’s fully healthy, should put Los Angeles in a better position to improve upon their modest 3-2-2 start to the regular season.
Copley didn’t garner any starts for Los Angeles during his emergency recall but filled in for Rittich during the team’s loss to the Maple Leafs on October 16th. He managed to stop 10 out of 12 shots in 27:29 of ice time for a .833 save percentage and 4.37 goals against average. He’ll now return to the crease for the AHL’s Ontario Reign where the team has averaged four goals against per game using three netminders.
Kings Announce Multiple Roster Moves
The Kings have made several roster moves in advance of their game tomorrow against Anaheim. The team announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been placed on injured reserve, netminder Pheonix Copley has once again been recalled from AHL Ontario on an emergency basis, and defenseman Joel Edmundson has been reinstated to the active roster.
Kuemper is in his first season with Los Angeles after being acquired over the offseason in exchange for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. He got off to a solid start in his first two outings, allowing just three goals on 59 shots. However, he struggled mightily in his third outing this week against Ottawa with eight shots beating him in an overtime loss. Since then, he has been listed as out with a lower-body injury. The Kings can back-date the placement to October 15th, meaning Kuemper will be eligible to return early next week.
As for Copley, he returns to the active roster after being papered back to the Reign earlier today. He made one appearance in his first stint, coming in relief earlier this week against Toronto, allowing two goals on a dozen shots. The 32-year-old has 77 career NHL appearances under his belt and will continue to serve as David Rittich’s backup until Kuemper is able to return.
Edmundson, meanwhile, had been away from the Kings for the past few days following the birth of his child. The 31-year-old is in his first season with Los Angeles after inking a four-year, $15.4MM contract with them back in July. He has played in three games with them so far, recording an assist and eight blocked shots in a little over 21 minutes a night. With his return, the team is now back to carrying eight healthy blueliners.
Kings Recall Pheonix Copley, Place Joel Edmundson On Non-Roster List
Saturday: Copley has been returned to Ontario, per the AHL’s transactions log, suggesting that Kuemper has been cleared to return.
Wednesday: The Kings have recalled netminder Pheonix Copley from AHL Ontario under emergency conditions, per a team announcement. Starter Darcy Kuemper is out with a lower-body injury and is listed as day-to-day, adds Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period. Defenseman Joel Edmundson has been granted personal leave and moved to the non-roster list, giving the Kings the open spot on the 23-man roster necessary to add Copley.
It’s a tough break for the 34-year-old Kuemper, who’s just beginning his second stint with the Kings after he was acquired from the Capitals for Pierre-Luc Dubois this offseason. The veteran has played all three games to start the season for Los Angeles and looked strong early on, stopping 56 of 59 shots faced (.949 SV%) through his first two contests. Things came crashing down in a wild game against the Senators on Monday, though, allowing eight goals on 41 shots en route to an overtime loss, bringing his SV% on the year down to .890.
It doesn’t appear he’ll miss too much time, though. He could have been placed on IR to accommodate Copley’s recall but wasn’t, indicating there’s a chance he’ll return within the next seven days. However, he could still land there if Edmundson returns to the team before Kuemper’s ready to play, Bernstein said. Edmundson, 31, has been away from the team since yesterday while awaiting the birth of his child.
The Kings will now turn to David Rittich to make his first appearance of the season tonight against the Maple Leafs after he posted a career-high .921 SV% and 11.0 GSAA in just 24 appearances for Los Angeles last year. Copley, who missed most of last season after undergoing ACL surgery, will back up. The 32-year-old allowed three goals on 22 shots in his lone AHL showing this season against the San Jose Barracuda on Sunday, his first appearance in over 10 months. The Alaska native struggled with a .870 SV% and 3.16 GAA in eight showings for Los Angeles last season, firmly slipping to No. 3 on their goalie depth chart behind Rittich.
Jordan Spence Healthy Scratched Tonight
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews will not dress tonight when the team takes on the Boston Bruins (as per Avalanche play-by-play announcer Conor McGahey). The 30-year-old will miss his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury as the Avalanche will be looking to get into the win column for the first time this season.
Colorado has started the year 0-3 as they try to overcome a growing list of injury concerns. They will be in tough against the Bruins without the services of Toews. Oliver Kylington will take Toews’s place on the top pair once again alongside Cale Makar, while Sam Malinski will likely occupy Toews’s spot on the second power-play unit.
In other Western Conference notes:
- Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe took the morning skate with the team but won’t play tonight as he continues to deal with an illness (as per Derek Lee of The Hockey News). The 23-year-old has yet to play this season as he will miss his third consecutive game to start the year. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota native signed a two-year $1.85MM extension with the Ducks in July and will likely compete with Olen Zellweger for a spot in Anaheim’s defense core going forward.
- Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period is reporting that the Los Angeles Kings scratched Jordan Spence tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kings opted for a third pairing of Caleb Jones and Andreas Englund which is very telling given the commitment Los Angeles showed to Spence in the summer by signing him to a two-year deal worth $3MM. The 23-year-old has had an abysmal start to the season, getting pinned in the defensive zone regularly while struggling with turnovers. The Kings hoped Spence would claim a spot on their backend after Matt Roy departed to Washington in free agency, but his struggles have become too much for the Kings to ignore. Spence’s time in the press box will likely be short-lived though as the Kings are being throttled by the Maple Leafs tonight and are sure to make changes before they take the ice tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens.
Kings Taking A 'Wait-And-See' Approach With Gavrikov Extension
The Los Angeles Kings already lost one underappreciated shutdown defenseman this summer in Matt Roy and they may be in danger of losing another. Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period reports the team is taking a ’wait-and-see’ approach with defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and extension negotiations haven’t started.
Gavrikov has been exactly as advertised for the Kings since the organization acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022-23 season. He’s a regular shot blocker and has maintained solid defensive play despite starting 58.4% of his shifts in the defensive zone throughout his time in Los Angeles. Gavrikov signed a short two-year, $11.75MM extension with the Kings in 2023 hoping to earn a higher AAV in his age-30 season with the salary cap rising.
- Speaking of Kaliyev, the former top prospect isn’t expected back on the ice for another six to eight weeks (X Link). Kaliyev broke his collarbone early in training camp and is currently listed on the Kings’ injured reserve. A start in November/December isn’t ideal for Kaliyev as he looks to earn more responsibility in Los Angeles. He’s coming off the worst season of his career scoring seven goals and 15 points in 51 games last year.
Los Angeles To Host The 2025 NHL Entry Draft
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that the 2025 NHL Entry Draft will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. The draft will be the first of its kind in the NHL as the league is moving to a decentralized model that will see the team’s management groups and scouting staff at a separate location while the prospects and their families will be in attendance in Los Angeles.
The details have yet to be finalized but reports are that Gary Bettman is working on wrapping up the arrangements at the 7,100-seat Peacock Theater. The theater is close to Crypto.com, the home of the Los Angeles Kings who will be hosting the event. Bettman will be in Los Angeles in the next handful of days to finalize details alongside much of the NHL’s executives.
While the details of the NHL Entry Draft are starting to emerge, there is very little information at this time about where the NHL Awards will be held and Pagnotta even wonders if the show will take place in 2025.
The NHL has been taking their events to bigger markets in recent years and will be hosting the draft in Los Angeles for the first time in 15 years. The last NHL Entry Draft the Kings hosted was at the Staples Center (now Crypto.com arena) in 2010.
Kings Recall Andre Lee, Place Drew Doughty On LTIR
The Kings have recalled forward Andre Lee from the AHL’s Ontario Reign, per a team release. Los Angeles had an open roster spot but didn’t have the cap space to execute the transaction, so they’ve moved Drew Doughty to long-term injured reserve in a corresponding move. He remains month-to-month after undergoing ankle surgery last month.
Lee, 24, had a strong camp by all accounts. He’s looking to make his NHL debut tomorrow in the Kings’ season-opener against the Sabres, potentially in a fourth-line role alongside youngsters Akil Thomas and Alex Turcotte while veteran Trevor Lewis sits in the press box.
A seventh-round pick back in 2019, Lee is entering his third professional season. The 6’4″ Swede signed his entry-level contract in 2022 after three years at UMass-Lowell, where he totaled 64 points (31 G, 33 A) in 87 games. The voracious checker can play both left wing and center. While he hasn’t put up big numbers on the scoresheet since turning pro, he’s shown he can be a strong enough complementary physical player to log NHL minutes (or at least earn a brief look). He posted a career-high eight goals and five assists for 13 points in 38 games with the Reign last year, adding 23 PIMs and a +2 rating.
Lee signed a two-way extension ($775K/$100K) to remain in the Kings organization in June. He’s set to be an arbitration-eligible RFA next summer.
Meanwhile, Doughty’s LTIR placement doesn’t affect his timeline for a return. He was already expected to miss the 10 games and 24 days required for an LTIR stint.
Drew Doughty And Arthur Kaliyev Placed On IR
Max Bultman of The Athletic tweeted that the recent moves by the Detroit Red Wings point to the team signing forward Austin Watson to a contract. The 32-year-old is on a PTO for the second straight season and is hoping to grab an NHL job out of training camp for the second year in a row.
Watson turned last year’s PTO into a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning and could do so again this year, especially after he endeared himself to the team by sticking up for his teammate in Friday’s affair against the Ottawa Senators. Watson‘s presence would give the Red Wings a 13th forward and provide the team with a bit of toughness, something that they didn’t have a ton of last season.
PuckPedia has reported that Watson will likely sign a two-way contract with the Red Wings.
In other evening notes:
- The Los Angeles Kings have announced that defenseman Drew Doughty will be placed on injured reserve. The news is not surprising given that Doughty just had surgery last week and was ruled out month to month. The 34-year-old suffered the injury back on September 25th after a collision with former teammate Tanner Pearson. Doughty’s absence will certainly complicate the Kings’ first month of the season as Doughty remains among the league leaders in ice time and averaged nearly 26 minutes a game last season.
- The Los Angeles Kings announced that forward Arthur Kaliyev has been placed on the injured reserve. Much like with Doughty, Kaliyav’s move to the IR was strictly a formality as the 23-year-old suffered a fractured clavicle in a training camp scrimmage a few weeks ago. Kaliyev is currently out indefinitely and there is no timetable for a potential return. The former second-round pick had seven goals and eight assists in 51 games last season and suffered a steep drop in his offensive production which ultimately led to him settling for a one-year deal for $825K just a few days before the start of training camp.
Waiver Wire: 10/6/24
Today is the major day for the waiver wire as most teams in the NHL are preparing the 23-man rosters for the 2024-25 NHL season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed that all players on waivers from yesterday have cleared. The following list is each player placed on waivers this afternoon as reported by PuckPedia.
Boston Bruins
F Patrick Brown
G Brandon Bussi
G Jiri Patera
D Billy Sweezey
F Jeffrey Viel
Buffalo Sabres
D Kale Clague
G James Reimer
F Lukas Rousek
Calgary Flames
G Devin Cooley
F Jakob Pelletier
F Cole Schwindt
Carolina Hurricanes
F Josiah Slavin
D Ty Smith
F Ryan Suzuki
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
F Sheldon Dries
D Justin Holl
D William Lagesson
D Brogan Rafferty
F Joe Snively
Edmonton Oilers
D Josh Brown
F Drake Caggiula
F Raphael Lavoie
G Olivier Rodrigue
Los Angeles Kings
G Pheonix Copley
F Samuel Fagemo
F Jack Studnicka
Nashville Predators
New Jersey Devils
F Shane Bowers
D Nick DeSimone
F Nolan Foote
D Colton White
New York Islanders
D Samuel Bolduc
F Pierre Engvall
F Hudson Fasching
F Liam Foudy
G Marcus Hogberg
D Grant Hutton
F Fredrik Karlstrom
G Jakub Skarek
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Sebastian Aho
F Bokondji Imama
St. Louis Blues
D Corey Schueneman
D Tyler Tucker
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Gage Goncalves
D Steven Santini
F Jesse Ylonen
Toronto Maple Leafs
G Matt Murray
D Marshall Rifai
Utah Hockey Club
Vancouver Canucks
Vegas Golden Knights
F Zach Aston-Reese
F Tanner Laczynski
F Jonas Rondbjerg
Washington Capitals
Winnipeg Jets