Kings Recall Andre Lee, Place Akil Thomas On IR
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
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
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
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.
Kings Recall Pheonix Copley, Assign Erik Portillo To Minors
The Kings are swapping out backup goaltenders in advance of their afternoon game against Seattle today. The team announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled Pheonix Copley from AHL Ontario. In a corresponding move, Erik Portillo was re-assigned to the Reign.
Copley was the backup for Los Angeles at the start of last season, following an impressive 2022-23 performance that saw him record a 2.64 GAA and a .903 SV% in 37 games. However, he struggled early on last year and then was injured, handing the number two job to David Rittich who secured the second-string role again in training camp in the fall.
The 32-year-old has made one appearance with the Kings this season, stopping 10 of 12 shots in a mid-October appearance. But most of his playing time has come with the Reign where he has a 3.34 GAA and a .879 SV% in seven outings so far. He’s slated to be an unrestricted free agent this summer and is on a one-way contract worth $825K.
As for Portillo, the 24-year-old received his first NHL recall a little over a week ago but didn’t see any game action with Rittich carrying the workload in Darcy Kuemper’s absence due to injury. He has played in five games with Ontario so far, posting a 3.02 GAA and a .891 SV%. Last season, Portillo put up a 2.50 GAA and a .918 SV% in 39 outings with the Reign, earning him a three-year, $2.35MM contract, the final two seasons of which will carry a one-way salary. It’s not ideal to have a young goaltender sitting without any game action for an extended stretch so he’ll go back to Ontario and get a chance to see some regular action with them.
Kings Recall Samuel Helenius, Jacob Moverare
Nov. 18: It was indeed a paper transaction. Helenius and Moverare are back up with the NHL club today, per a team announcement.
Nov. 17: The Kings loaned center Samuel Helenius and defenseman Jacob Moverare to AHL Ontario on Sunday, the team announced. With four days until their next game, it could be a paper transaction to get them playing time and, in Moverare’s case, delay the expiration of his temporary waiver exemption.
Los Angeles recalled Helenius, 22 next week, last weekend, shortly after Alex Turcotte exited the lineup with an upper-body injury. Turcotte returned to action Saturday against the Red Wings, but Helenius remained in the lineup for his fourth straight appearance while Akil Thomas sat in the press box.
Helenius has spent his first look in the NHL centering the Kings’ fourth line. He’s averaged 10:22 per game, won 13 of his 26 draws, and recorded his first two NHL points – both assists. He has a +1 rating, four shots on goal, 7 PIMs, and put his 6’6″, 201-lb frame to work by averaging 17.37 hits per 60 minutes, second on the team only to Tanner Jeannot.
It’s hard not to be optimistic based on the 2021 second-round pick’s initial showing. The son of former NHL enforcer Sami Helenius hasn’t flashed intriguing point totals at the AHL level, with only 37 in 150 games for Ontario over the past four seasons. But the fundamentals are there for Helenius to continue growing into a potential fourth-line fixture at the game’s highest level, although he’ll need to improve on his possession play. The Kings controlled only 42.9% of shot attempts with Helenius on the ice at even strength despite giving him rather advantageous offensive usage.
Meanwhile, all signs point to the 26-year-old Moverare coming back up before Wednesday’s game if Caleb Jones isn’t yet ready to come off IR with his undisclosed injury. The 2016 fourth-round pick made his season debut on Saturday, posting a +1 rating, two hits, four blocks, and a 60.6 CF% in 14:50 of ice time. He was just recalled on Friday, so only two days and one game have been shaved off from his temporary 30-day, 10-game exemption after clearing waivers during preseason.
Kings Activate Alex Turcotte, Assign Andre Lee To AHL
The Kings have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their game today against Detroit. The team announced that they’ve activated forward Alex Turcotte off injured reserve. To make room for him on the roster, winger Andre Lee was assigned to AHL Ontario.
Turcotte was placed on IR a week ago today after sustaining an upper-body injury early in the month. The 23-year-old is in his first full NHL season and has held his own in a limited role. Turcotte has played in 13 games so far this season, picking up a goal and four assists while averaging just under 12 minutes a night in their bottom six. For his career, he’s up to 45 appearances at the top level, tallying two goals and seven helpers.
As for Lee, he was an early-season recall and had been up with Los Angeles since then, spanning more than five weeks in total. Along the way, he played a regular role in the lineup, collecting two assists and 32 hits in 15 games in 9:26 of playing time per game. Those games were the 24-year-old’s first taste of NHL action. Lee had eight goals and five assists in 38 games with the Reign last season, resulting in a one-year, two-way contract worth the league minimum of $775K with the Kings and $100K in the minors.
Notably, Lee’s assignment means that Samuel Helenius will remain with Los Angeles for now, at least. He was brought up when Turcotte landed on injured reserve and it would have made sense for him to be the one who lost his spot with Turcotte returning. Helenius has an assist, nine hits, and a 60% faceoff success rate in his first three games, earning himself a longer look in the process.
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Los Angeles Kings
Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.
PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2024-25 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia. We’re currently covering the Pacific Division, next up is the Kings.
Los Angeles Kings
Current Cap Hit: $90,180,114 (above the $88MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
D Brandt Clarke (two years, $863K)
F Alex Laferriere (one year, $875K)
Potential Bonuses
Clarke: $850K
Laferriere had a solid rookie season last year while spending a lot of time in the bottom six. This year, he’s playing a little higher in the lineup and has responded by being one of their leading point-getters. If that holds, his bridge deal (a long-term pact would be surprising) should run past $3MM per season at a minimum, potentially higher if he stays at his current pace.
After spending most of last season in the minors, Clarke is now a regular and an important part of the back end in Los Angeles. He’s already putting up solid offensive numbers and that should continue which will only push his next contract higher. A bridge agreement could be trending toward starting with a four if this holds while a longer-term pact could climb closer to $7MM. Bonus-wise, Clarke has four ‘A’ bonuses in his deal at $212.5K apiece and at his current pace, he could have a shot at all four of them (assists, points, ATOI, and blocks).
Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level
D Andreas Englund ($1MM, UFA)
D Vladislav Gavrikov ($5.875MM, UFA)
F Tanner Jeannot ($2.65MM, UFA)
D Caleb Jones ($775K, UFA)
F Arthur Kaliyev ($825K, RFA)
F Andre Lee ($775K, RFA)
F Trevor Lewis ($800K, UFA)
G David Rittich ($1MM, UFA)
Jeannot was acquired from Tampa Bay over the offseason with the hope a change of scenery could re-spark his offensive game. That hasn’t happened early on as he has spent some time on the fourth line. At this point, there’s a possibility that he’s heading for a pay cut; while his 24-goal, 41-point season was only a few years ago, that looks like the outlier and teams might not want to pay up for that. Kaliyev wanted a trade over the summer but one never materialized so he settled for a low-cost one-year deal and then was injured in training camp. If there isn’t a trade to be found once he returns, Kaliyev could be a non-tender candidate in the summer where he’d likely have to settle for another low-cost deal in this range.
Lewis has been on a one-year deal around this price tag for five straight years now and remains a capable fourth liner. If he wants to keep playing (he turns 38 in January), he should be able to continue that streak. Lee is holding his own on the fourth line in his first taste of NHL action. It’s likely that his next contract should be around the minimum but he could have a shot at a one-way agreement.
Gavrikov took an interesting approach in free agency two years ago, electing to sign an early extension to remain with Los Angeles but opting for a short-term agreement to allow him to hit the open market in a more favorable environment. His offensive production hasn’t returned to the peak level he had in Columbus which will limit his upside to a point. That said, he could make a case to land this much or slightly more on a long-term agreement, if not even a max-term one. With several blueliners from this class already off the market, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Gavrikov wait this out a little longer to see if a dwindling market could help up his asking price.
Englund played a regular role on the third pairing last season but playing time has been harder to come by this time around. He’s someone who might best fit in a seventh role so while another one-way contract could come his way, it might have to come in slightly lower than this one. Jones spent time in the minors last season, leading to a two-way deal this time around. With very limited playing time so far, he doesn’t seem to be trending toward beating that by much next summer.
Rittich did rather well after being recalled early last season but opted to take this deal in May over testing the open market. He hasn’t fared as well early on this year, however. Even so, he’s likely still in the higher-end third-string option or lower-end backup tier which should get him another deal in this range.
Signed Through 2025-26
D Kyle Burroughs ($1.1MM, UFA)
F Adrian Kempe ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Anze Kopitar ($7MM, UFA)
D Jordan Spence ($1.5MM, RFA)
F Akil Thomas ($775K, RFA)
This is the first season of Kopitar’s cheaper deal after making $10MM per season on the last agreement. It’s supposed to reflect what should be a smaller role but that hasn’t been the case early in 2024-25 as he’s still an all-situations top-line center. Now 37, there’s some risk in terms of his age but the early returns on this contract demonstrate this could wind up as a team-friendly agreement. Another deal, if there is one, will likely reflect the expected lighter workload as well at that time.
Kempe turned the corner offensively in 2021-22 and hasn’t looked back since then, becoming a legitimate top-line threat. While his days of playing center are numbered which won’t help his case on the open market, he’s still positioning himself for a new deal that starts with a seven or possibly even an eight on a long-term pact. Thomas, meanwhile, is still getting his feet wet at the NHL level. He has some runway to develop and if all goes well, he should push past $1MM at least next time out.
Spence is playing on his bridge deal, one that’s slightly back-loaded and carries a $1.7MM qualifying offer. With Clarke taking on a bigger role offensively, that’s going to cut into Spence’s numbers potentially but as a right-shot player with some offensive upside, doubling the qualifying offer could still be possible. As for Burroughs, he’s in a similar situation as Englund, someone who may be best served in a reserve role. Accordingly, a small cut might be needed here as well.
Signed Through 2026-27
F Phillip Danault ($5.5MM, UFA)
D Drew Doughty ($11MM, UFA)
F Warren Foegele ($3.5MM, UFA)
G Darcy Kuemper ($5.25MM, UFA)
F Alex Turcotte ($775K, RFA)
Danault has shown a bit more offensively since coming to the Kings and has played with more consistency on that front, making him a quality second-line option for them thus far. If he can stay around the 50-point range, he could beat this price tag by a bit in 2027 but if his production slows, his next deal could look a fair bit like this one.
Foegele picked the right time for a career year last season as that helped him land this contract in free agency. If he can stay around 20 goals consistently, they’ll do alright with this one while he’d be in line for a small raise. That said, 20 goals is the outlier at this point of his career (though he’s off to a good start this season on that front). Turcotte took a rare three-year deal at the minimum, guaranteeing himself a one-way salary in the last two seasons. That gives him and the Kings plenty of time to see if he’s just a late-bloomer or a lottery selection likely to be viewed in the bust category. At the moment, when healthy, he’s primarily in a bottom-six role. If that kept up over the course of the deal, he could plausibly command a seven-figure salary next time out.
When healthy, Doughty is still a legitimate all-situations number one defenseman. Price-wise, the deal holds up a little better now compared to when it was first signed as a record-breaker. Having said that, this is still on the high side, especially for a player with a lot of hard minutes under his belt and now two significant injuries in recent years. That swings the valuation of this deal back into negative territory (although his current injury has given them short-term LTIR flexibility if nothing else). Doughty will be entering his age-38 year on his next contract. Like Kopitar, there’s a very good chance the price tag at that time will be lowered by a few million per season to reflect his age and the possibility for a sharper decline at that time.
Kuemper was brought in as their new starter while shedding the Pierre-Luc Dubois contract that didn’t go well in its first year. Factoring in what they paid to get Dubois, the sequence of trades isn’t the prettiest but he gives them some stability between the pipes they haven’t had lately. He’ll be 37 when his next contract starts so this price tag might be as high as it gets.
Kings Recall Erik Portillo, Jacob Moverare
The Kings announced that they’ve recalled goaltender Erik Portillo and defenseman Jacob Moverare from AHL Ontario, with the former coming under emergency conditions. Defender Caleb Jones and Darcy Kuemper were placed on injured reserve in corresponding transactions to open roster space.
It’s the first NHL recall for the 24-year-old Portillo. Selected in the third round of the Sabres in the 2019 draft, the Sweden native was a star at the University of Michigan, where he compiled a .918 SV% in 87 games from the 2020-21 to 2022-23 seasons and won two Big 10 conference championships.
With Buffalo already having Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the goaltending pipeline, though, there wasn’t a real spot for Portillo in the Sabres organization when he was ready to turn pro. Near the end of his final season at Michigan, Buffalo dealt him to the Kings for a 2023 third-rounder that became defenseman Gavin McCarthy.
After Portillo’s season ended in late April 2023, he signed his entry-level contract with Los Angeles and reported to Ontario. That’s where he’s played all 44 games of his professional career, compiling a 2.56 GAA, .915 SV%, two shutouts, and a 27-13-3 record over the past two seasons. He also posted a 2.16 GAA, .916 SV%, one shutout, and a 5-3-0 record in eight Calder Cup Playoff games for Ontario earlier this year.
The Kings could also have opted to give veteran Pheonix Copley a summons while Kuemper is on the shelf. They’ve already done so this year, recalling him for a week in October while Kuemper was dealing with a lower-body injury. However, he surrendered two goals on 12 shots in his lone appearance, relieving David Rittich in a 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs back on Oct. 16. As such, they’ll give the younger Portillo a chance at some action as Rittich’s backup for the time being.
Moverare, 26, is in the first season of a two-year, one-way extension worth $1.55MM, which he signed back in March. The 2016 fourth-round pick lost a training camp battle for a roster spot to Jones, who inked a two-way deal in free agency over the summer. He cleared waivers at the beginning of October and headed to Ontario, where he has two assists and a team-leading +8 rating in 11 games.
In 45 NHL games over the past three seasons, the 6’3″ Moverare has shown he’s capable of being a no-fuss option in third-pairing minutes. He only has a goal and two assists to his name and has seen limited minutes, averaging 13:08 per game, but has a +2 rating and has controlled 51.5% of shot attempts when deployed at even strength.
As for Jones and Kuemper, it’s unclear when exactly they’ll be back in the lineup. They were both left Los Angeles’ last game, a 4-2 loss to the Avalanche on Wednesday, with injuries. The IR stint means they’ll miss at least seven days, meaning they won’t play Saturday against the Red Wings but are eligible to return on Wednesday next week against the Sabres.
Jones, 27, has spent most of this season in the press box. His appearance against Colorado was his first since Oct. 29 against the Sharks and ended a streak of seven straight healthy scratches. He’s averaged 12:49 per game when in the lineup and has a -2 rating through five games with four blocks and nine hits. He’s crushed his limited minutes against easy competition, though, posting a career-best 65.3% shot-attempt share at even strength.
For the 34-year-old Kuemper, it’s the second time he’s hit the shelf this season. That’s to be expected given his lengthy injury history, but the Saskatchewan native has been decent when healthy in his second stint with the Kings. Acquired from the Capitals for Pierre-Luc Dubois over the summer, the 2022 Stanley Cup champion has a 4-2-3 record, .899 SV%, 2.65 GAA, one shutout, and a -0.3 GSAA in 10 starts.
Kings Recall Samuel Helenius, Place Alex Turcotte On IR
The Kings have made a pair of roster moves leading up to their game tonight against Columbus. The team announced that they’ve recalled forward Samuel Helenius from AHL Ontario on an emergency basis; to make room on the roster, forward Alex Turcotte was placed on injured reserve.
This is the first recall for Helenius in his young career. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick by Los Angeles back in 2021, going 59th overall. Standing 6’6, the hope was that Helenius could become a solid checking piece and now in his third professional season, things appear to be on track.
This season, Helenius has three points in eight games along with 22 penalty minutes for the Reign. That’s a small improvement in offensive pace for him after he put up 19 points in 69 contests last season. Helenius should take Tanner Jeannot’s place in the lineup as he begins a three-game suspension tonight.
As for Turcotte, he was injured back on Monday against Nashville, suffering an upper-body injury. However, it’s not supposed to be a long-term issue as he has already resumed skating, albeit in a non-contact jersey. The 23-year-old has done relatively well in his first full NHL campaign, notching five points in 13 games while logging a little under 12 minutes a night.