Los Angeles Kings To Recall Mike Amadio
According to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, Mike Amadio is on his way up to the Los Angeles Kings. In a corresponding move, the team will send Justin Auger back to the minor leagues. Auger, 23, made his NHL debut with the Kings this season on October 18th and got into a second game before heading back to the AHL.
Should Amadio get into the lineup, it would be another debut for an interesting prospect. Amadio was selected in the third round—90th overall—by the Kings in 2014 after a relatively pedestrian OHL campaign. He had scored 12 goals and 38 points and Central Scouting had him ranked 68th among North American skaters going into the draft. Since then though, the 6’1″ 196-lbs forward has done nothing but score. In the next two years of junior he put up 169 points in 136 games, jumped immediately to the AHL playoffs where he was dynamic, and then last year found success in the minor leagues as a rookie. Amadio scored 41 points in 68 games last season, ranking third on Ontario and earning him another look in training camp this year.
Though he couldn’t crack the Kings out of camp, the 21-year old is definitely someone to keep an eye on in Los Angeles. Despite his recent offensive achievements, his calling card is his defense and capable center ice play. There is a legitimate chance he could be an NHL center with some offensive upside, but for now his role will likely be limited—if he even cracks the lineup. The Kings are carrying 13 forwards.
5 Key Stories: 10/16/17 – 10/22/17
It wasn’t as busy during the beginning of the week, but the end certainly had its fair share of big news. Injuries to key players dominated the week’s notes.
- Red Wings finally come to terms with Andreas Athanasiou, trade Riley Sheahan and Ryan Sproul – The Andreas Athanasiou-Red Wings stalemate came to an end after a phone conference with Wings brass thawed the tension. In order to make room, general manager Ken Holland dealt Riley Sheahan to Pittsburgh and flipped defenseman Ryan Sproul to the Rangers.
2. Bobby Ryan shelved for one month with a broken finger – As one commenter wrote, the snake bitten Ryan broke his right index finger during the Senators’ 6-3 win over rival Toronto. This yet another finger injury for the forward, who fought through a number of injuries last season.
3. Brian Boyle is cleared for full practice: Expected to be a critical piece for the Devils this season, Boyle was out due to a form of bone cancer, Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Though there is no timetable for his return, this is another large step for Boyle in his battle back to the ice.
4. A number of goalies suffer injuries: Tuukka Rask, Roberto Luongo, and Malcolm Subban were some of the netminders hit by injury this week. Both Subban and Marc-Andre Fleury sit on Vegas’ LTIR after it was reported that Subban would miss four weeks. Rask was diagnosed with a concussion and because of the nature of concussions, it’s unclear just how long Rask will be out. Luongo injured his right hand during the Panthers’ 4-3 loss last night.
5. Jeff Carter Out Indefinitely: The Kings lost one of their best players to a cut on his left leg, speculated to be a six-to-eight week recovery time.
Derek Forbort Signs Extension With Los Angeles Kings
In the wake of the Los Angeles Kings’ bad news on Jeff Carter, the team has something else to cheer up their fans. Derek Forbort has signed a two-year contract extension that will pay him an average of $2.525MM per season.
Forbort has quickly become a fan favorite in Los Angeles, as he made the jump right from the minor leagues to Drew Doughty‘s left side. After playing in 14 games for the Kings in 2014-15, Forbort suited up for all 82 last year and averaged over 20 minutes a night. This year he’s back for even more, playing sidekick to Doughty and being relied on as the team’s #1 penalty killer. The 25-year old was a long time coming for the Kings, who drafted him in the first round in 2010.
His first stop was at the University of North Dakota, where he was part of their NHL factory that churns out professionals every year. He spent three seasons with the Fighting Hawks, while also skating key minutes for Team USA in the World Juniors in two consecutive years. Forbort began to hone his simple two-way style then, and made an immediate impact for the Manchester Monarchs upon turning pro. He helped lead the team to a Calder Cup championship in 2015, before making his NHL debut the next season.
Recently there has been speculation that the Kings could deal one of their other defensemen—Jake Muzzin or Alec Martinez in particular—for scoring help. That ability comes directly because of the quick transition Forbort has made to their top pairing, and his ability to play in all situations. While the team continues to lose offensive pieces to injury, their defense remains rock-solid. The Kings have allowed just 10 goals all season, easily the fewest in the entire league.
Forbort is in the final season of his two-year two-way deal he signed in the summer of 2016, just 14 games into his NHL career. Over that span it has been one of the most valuable deals in the league, paying him just $650K at the NHL level each season. Importantly, the new contract will take him to free agency in the summer of 2020 at the age of 28, when he can really cash in with a long-term deal. While there will likely be debate over how much of his success is directly tied to Doughty, he has positioned himself in a strong negotiating position for unrestricted free agency.
The Kings, on that same note likely didn’t want to commit to Forbort long-term on an expensive contract when they have Doughty’s own deal to worry about. Doughty will hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019, and if the Kings intend on keeping him they’ll have to give him one of the biggest contracts in the league. The 27-year old is coming off a Norris Trophy win in 2016 and is generally regarded as one of the best all-around defensemen in the NHL.
Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider first reported the deal on Twitter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Jeff Carter Out Indefinitely Following Surgery; Kings To Sign Brooks Laich
As a follow-up to this morning’s note on Jeff Carter, the Los Angeles Kings sent out a press release to LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen clarifying the situation somewhat.
Kings center Jeff Carter sustained a cut to his left leg during the first period of last night’s game and today is undergoing a surgical procedure to repair the injury. He is out indefinitely.
For what it’s worth, John Shannon of Sportsnet was hearing earlier today that it was tendon damage for Carter, which would likely keep him out long-term. While we don’t have a clear timeline yet, the Kings will have to move on without one of their star forwards for the time being. Bob McKenzie of TSN relays a six to eight week timeline as a best case scenario.
Carter, 32, was coming off one of the best seasons of his career in 2016-17 when he scored 32 goals and 66 points, single-handily almost dragging the Kings’ offense to the playoffs. This year had started out a little slower with just three points in his first six games, but he was obviously still a huge part of their team. Before missing most of last night’s game, he had been averaging over 18 minutes per game and was a key part of both special teams.
Perhaps most importantly, Carter’s absence will put an immense strain on the Kings at the center position, where he and Anze Kopitar provided so much ice time. Nick Shore, the third line pivot will now be thrust into an even larger role while Nic Dowd and youngster Adrian Kempe will step into the bottom two spots. For a team that was already lacking scoring depth, losing perhaps the best pure goal man on the team is an incredibly unlucky blow.
In his absence, the team will be signing Brooks Laich to an NHL contract according to Rosen. The two-way deal will be worth $650K at the NHL level. Laich had attended training camp with the Kings but hadn’t earned a contract. The 34-year old forward played the entire 2016-17 campaign with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, buried by Toronto thanks to his hefty cap hit. Scoring just nine points in 27 games, he battled both injury and a lineup of prospects that he couldn’t crack. The Marlies clearly were acting as a development program for the Maple Leafs, and didn’t have much ice time for several of their buried veterans.
Still, he did only score 14 points in the 2015-16 season that was split between Washington and Toronto. Laich was once a perennial 20-goal man, but hasn’t scored more than 20 points in a season since 2011-12. He had been practicing with the team still, and was likely always going to be one of the first injury replacements. Interestingly, McKenzie notes that the team had actually agreed to terms with Laich before the game. The timeline on getting him to the NHL though is obviously accelerated.
Early Notes: Carter, Rask, Cehlarik
The Los Angeles Kings were already thin on scoring, relying on their top names to carry most of the load this season. Then, last night against the Montreal Canadiens Jeff Carter absorbed a hit from Jeff Petry and will be out “a little while” according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. Bob McKenzie of TSN believes that means “multiple weeks”
Carter was cut by a skate blade in the collision, a fluke injury that will really hurt the Kings. Los Angeles is off to a great 5-0-1 record, extending their smooth start with a 5-1 blowout of the Canadiens last night. The team finally received some secondary scoring, as Adrian Kempe and Mike Cammalleri both broke out for four-point nights. Prior to last night neither player had any points, but stepped up in a fashion the team desperately needed.
- Anders Bjork crashed into Tuukka Rask at practice yesterday, and though the goaltender was helped off the ice the Bruins still haven’t made a roster move. As McKenzie reports, the team wanted to see how he was feeling this morning before making any decision. Remember, if Rask is out the team no longer has Malcolm Subban to turn to in the minor leagues, and would likely turn to Zane McIntyre as a backup for Anton Khudobin. If Rask deals with an injury for any length of time, the goaltending depth of the Bruins organization will really be tested.
- Still with the Bruins, the team has returned Peter Cehlarik to the AHL according to Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe. Cehlarik had been called up along with Kenny Agostino this week to help fill in for the injured forwards, but with David Backes and Patrice Bergeron nearing returns he’s no longer needed. Agostino will likely stay and fill some of the role of the injured Ryan Spooner, at least on the powerplay.
Los Angeles Could Make Defensemen Available During Season
The less talked about part of TSN’s “Insider Trading” segment last night was when Pierre LeBrun mentioned that the Los Angeles Kings could decide to make either Jake Muzzin or Alec Martinez available later in the year to boost their scoring. While it does seem like speculation at this point on the venerable insider’s behalf, it is an interesting concept. As LeBrun states:
It’s not every day that a top-4 defenseman—in season—is made available. Or one that’s not a rental player; both these guys have term past this year. So yes, this is something I believe the Kings have discussed internally, the possibility of doing this. Again, later in the season.
Martinez and Muzzin would both easily become some of the most sought after names in the league should they be made available. Both come with a reasonable $4MM cap hit, for two and three more years past the 2017-18 season respectively. While that term takes out some options that could only afford rentals, it opens up the trade market to teams who aren’t necessarily in the hunt this year.
When LeBrun mentions that Kings may not have the offense to sustain this beginning, he could be right. Though the team is 4-0-1 to start the season, they’ve scored just 16 goals in those games, eight of which have come from the sticks of Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. While it’s nice to see bounce-backs for both of those Kings’ legends, relying on them as the only real source of offense is a tough ask. It’s entirely likely that Jeff Carter will get back to scoring, and that Tyler Toffoli takes a step forward offensively, but at the moment just two forwards outside of that core four have even two points. The Kings are a very top heavy team, that relies on their defense and goaltending.
So, perhaps there is room to move one of the star defensemen for an offensive upgrade. With the way Derek Forbort has burst onto the scene as a top-pairing player, and a player like Paul LaDue struggling to crack the NHL lineup, their defense could likely survive a subtraction. Still, it’s a tough package for any team to make in-season, as nothing short of a blockbuster will pry Muzzin or Martinez out of Los Angeles.
Snapshots: Brodzinski, Eriksson, Hunwick
Jonny Brodzinski has been assigned to the Ontario Reign of the AHL, as the Los Angeles Kings continue to make tweaks to their NHL roster. The team had called up Justin Auger earlier today, and actually didn’t need to make a corresponding move after they’d placed Kyle Clifford on injured reserve.
Now, the team has just 22 players on the active roster and as Jon Rosen of LAKings Insider writes, Marian Gaborik still isn’t much closer to getting on the ice. Gaborik continues to try and work his way back from a knee injury but is still some time away.
- Loui Eriksson‘s diagnosis came down, and the Vancouver Canucks announced that he’ll be out four to six weeks with a knee sprain. This continues the rough Vancouver career for Eriksson, who has scored just 11 goals in 69 games for the team now since signing in the 2016 offseason. That’s a far cry from what the Canucks were expecting to get for the six-year, $36MM contract they handed him.
- Ian Cole will come off injured reserve for the Pittsburgh Penguins as Matt Hunwick goes onto it, switching roster spots and healthy statuses. Cole is back in the lineup tonight for the Penguins, who have rebounded from their dreadful 10-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks to push their record to 3-2-1. With Hunwick down, Cole will slide in beside Justin Schultz on the second pair while Olli Maatta and Chad Ruhwedel bring up the rear. With that, the team has also decided they no longer require the services of Chris Summers, who was assigned back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Summers never did get into a game with Pittsburgh, but will be handy depth for any other injuries.
Justin Auger Recalled To Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Kings have recalled forward Justin Auger from the Ontario Reign of the AHL, marking the first time he’s been with the NHL club in his short professional career. The Kings had an open roster spot after placing Kyle Clifford on injured reserve, which they’ve decided to fill with another young forward.
The Kings have gotten off to an incredible 4-0-1 start under new head coach John Stevens, thanks in part to a re-energized Dustin Brown. The 32-year old has seven points in five games and is logging over 19 minutes a night for the club. That huge responsibility being heaped on Brown, Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter allows the rest of the Kings’ roster to be more fluid. Should Auger get into the lineup, it’s unlikely that he’ll be given much ice time, but it would still be a big step forward in his career.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, Auger wasn’t much of a scoring threat in junior hockey. The Kings were willing to take a chance on him though, mostly because of his size. The 23-year old forward stands at 6’6″, 232-lbs and can dominate people with his physicality. He’s actually shown more skill than one might have expected in the minor leagues, scoring 43 goals across three seasons including 19 in 2015-16.
Kings Return Paul LaDue To Ontario (AHL)
- The Kings announced that they have returned defenseman Paul LaDue to Ontario of the AHL, paving the way for blueliner Alec Martinez to be activated off injured reserve. LaDue had been with Los Angeles since the start of the season but did not get into a game. He impressed in a stint with the Kings late last year where he posted eight assists in 22 contests.
Three Teams Showing Strong Interest In Andreas Athanasiou
The Canadiens, Kings, and Senators are among the teams showing the most interest in unsigned Detroit winger Andreas Athanasiou, reports Ken Campbell of The Hockey News. All three make some sense as potential fits as Montreal is in need of scoring help, Ottawa has been looking for more depth up front since training camp when Clarke MacArthur failed his physical, while Los Angeles is looking to play a faster pace this year and the 23-year-old is one of the speedier players in the league.
Darren Ferris, Athanasiou’s agent, noted to Campbell that this situation will be resolved within the next week. How it gets resolved remains to be seen. Obviously, he could re-sign with the Red Wings but there has been little movement on Detroit’s offers or his asking price over the past several weeks. An offer sheet at this point is unlikely considering it hasn’t been done already. That leaves signing with an international team with the potential for an NHL out-clause by December 1st, his NHL signing deadline.
Campbell adds that although the offer that Athanasiou had received from Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL has now been withdrawn, Avangard Omsk (also of the KHL) has put an offer on the table believed to be worth $2.5MM, the amount he’s seeking from Detroit. He has Swiss NLA offers from HC Lugano (where he’s currently skating), Lausanne HC, and one other team but from a financial standpoint, those teams won’t be able to offer close to that type of money.
MLive’s Ansar Khan suggests that part of the current stalemate may have something to do with his role with the team. Last season, Athanasiou was up and down in the lineup and also found himself a healthy scratch at one point. He averaged 13:28 per night in 2016-17 which is fairly low for a player who had 18 goals in 64 games. GM Ken Holland has reportedly assured him of a top-nine role with some power play time but that’s not really anything beyond the role he had last year.
If Ferris’ expectation that Athanasiou’s situation will be sorted out within the next week holds true, there should be an end to the standoff soon but there are a lot of different ways that this still can go in the coming days.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.