Latest On D.J. Smith
Shortly ahead of tonight’s game at San Jose, the Anaheim Ducks revealed that Radko Gudas and Pavel Mintyukov wouldn’t play due to lower body injuries.
For Gudas, it more or less confirms the suspicion that the 35-year-old laced them up not yet healthy in order to answer the bell against the Maple Leafs. It’s a commendable act from the Ducks’ captain, especially as Gudas didn’t throw a punch in his scrap with Max Domi, stemming from the controversial hit which ended Auston Matthews’ season. Nonetheless, the Czech stay-at-home man will look to get healthy in time for the playoffs.
Another defenseman, Mintyukov has dealt with his own lower body issue, keeping him out of the lineup for the second time in the last three games. The 22-year-old has developed nicely in Anaheim, averaging 18:26 a contest and needing just one more game to make a career high 69 appearances in a season. Mintyukov still has untapped offensive upside, offering 20 points so far in 2025-26.
Neither Gudas or Mintyukov figure to have serious issues, but in the meantime, Ian Moore and Drew Helleson have stepped in.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Los Angeles will weigh their coaching options this summer, as insider David Pagnotta suspected that interim head coach D.J. Smith won’t be back, on Monday’s edition of Oilersnation Everyday. After firing Jim Hiller on March 1, Smith’s efforts to provide a spark have proved often ineffective, with a 5-5-4 record. The former Senators head man has a .465 career win percentage, not winning more than 39 games in a season. This summer will bring major change to the Kings with icon Anže Kopitar set to hang up his skates, but still offering a strong core in win-now mode, Los Angeles will seek a long-term solution behind the bench. Smith, 48, came to the Kings as an assistant in February 2024. If it’s indeed the beginning of the end of his tenure, it’s safe to assume another NHL club will come calling with a similiar job offer.
- The Henderson Silver Knights, aptly named affiliates of Vegas, inked goaltender Alexander Tracy to an AHL contract for 2026-27. The undrafted netminder enters the professional circuit after an impressive four year career at Minnesota State University – Mankato. A native of Chicago, Illinois, the 25-year-old got the bulk of starts for three of his four collegiate seasons. He put up an eye-popping .946 save percentage last season, followed by a .927% this year, winning over 20 games in each. Vegas has had three drafted goaltenders who have gotten significant playing time in the AHL, but behind Carl Lindbom, who has played well, neither Cameron Whitehead or Jesper Vikman have been able to stand out. Vikman was dealt to the Capitals organization as part of the Nic Dowd trade. As a result, the 5’11” Tracy will compete for a backup role in Henderson.
Samuel Helenius Out Day-To-Day With Undisclosed Injury
- Team content manager, Zach Dooley, shared that the Los Angeles Kings were without forward Samuel Helenius at practice today. Dooley indicated that Helenius was “dinged up” in the Kings’ loss to the Utah Mammoth last night and is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Helenius, 23, is in his second year with Los Angeles, registering four goals and eight points in 45 games throughout his sophomore campaign.
[SOURCE LINK]
Kuzmenko Resumes Skating
- Kings winger Andrei Kuzmenko has resumed skating as he works his way back from a meniscus injury, notes Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider. He has missed the last month due to the injury and was initially ruled as being out for the remainder of the regular season. However, while it appears that he’s back on the ice a little earlier than anticipated, the team is still proceeding as if he won’t return before the playoffs, should the team qualify. Kuzmenko, in his first full season with Los Angeles, has 13 goals and 12 assists in 52 games this season.
Los Angeles Kings To Activate Joel Armia
Over the last few weeks, the Los Angeles Kings have climbed back into a postseason spot while dealing with multiple injuries to their forward corps. They’ll get some reinforcements for tomorrow.
Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period passed along a note from interim head coach of the Kings, D.J. Smith, saying that forward Joel Armia would return tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres. Armia has been dealing with an upper-body injury for the last few weeks.
It’s certainly longer than Los Angeles expected Armia to miss. He was originally expected to miss a few days with the upper-body ailment. His last game played came on February 26th against the Edmonton Oilers.
While he won’t have as much impact as Kevin Fiala might have, Armia’s return to the lineup will still give the Kings more offensive firepower. He has played in 53 games this year, scoring 10 goals and accumulating 20 points.
Typically, at even strength, Armia plays on Los Angeles’ bottom two lines, while getting a few more minutes with special teams. He has been particularly solid on the penalty kill, tied for second in the league with four shorthanded goals on the year.
Additionally, he is responsible on the defensive side of the puck, which is imperative for a winger playing in the bottom six. Armia has managed a 92.2% on-ice SV% at even strength, making for one of the best outputs of his 12-year career.
Not only are the Kings back in a playoff spot, but they are projected to finish there based on points percentage. Including tonight, Los Angeles will play postseason or near-postseason-bound teams in five out of their remaining 14 games in the regular season, giving them a good opportunity to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Adrian Kempe Probable To Return Thursday
The Kings have failed to make much headway in the Western Conference wild-card race since their mixed-bag trade deadline, going 3-2-1. They played their last game, a 4-1 win over the Rangers to wrap up a five-game Eastern road swing, without the services of leading scorer Adrian Kempe. He was out with a lower-body injury and remains listed as day-to-day, although it could end up just being a one-game absence. Interim head coach D.J. Smith said at yesterday’s practice that he’s “hopeful” Kempe can suit up tonight against the Flyers. A win over Philly and a Kraken loss of any kind would get L.A. back into a playoff position. They’re tied with Seattle right now at 71 points, but trail the Kraken significantly, 25-18, in the regulation wins tiebreaker. Kempe’s health is crucial. He’s been on a tear coming out of the Olympic break, currently on an eight-game point streak with a 6-6–12 scoring line in his last 10.
Latest On Adrian Kempe
Just before the puck dropped on tonight’s game between the Kings and Rangers, Los Angeles shared that Adrian Kempe would be out due to a lower-body injury. Tonight marks the first time the forward has missed a contest all year.
Sadly in the final chapter with Kopitar, the Kings will hope Kempe maintains his production for many more years afterward, as the Swede earned an eight-year extension back in November. Unless you count the recently acquired Artemi Panarin, Kempe leads Los Angeles in points; the duo will need to do some heavy lifting if they can manage to sneak into the playoffs. Kempe could return as soon as Thursday against the Flyers, but he’s had to miss a big one tonight in Panarin’s return to Madison Square Garden.
Kings, Senators Swap Jan Jenik, Samuel Bolduc
According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have acquired forward Jan Jeník from the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Samuel Bolduc. Each player will report to their respective AHL clubs.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Jeník was considered one of the better prospects for the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes. He was drafted with the 65th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft and began his professional career during the 2020-21 season.
Although he didn’t make much noise in the NHL, Jeník got off to a promising start, scoring six goals and 14 points in 29 games for the Tucson Roadrunners. During his sophomore season, he significantly improved offensively, registering 17 goals and 47 points in 51 games.
Over the next few years, he continued his productive scoring pace in the AHL, scoring 23 goals and 59 points in 85 games. Still, between 2020 and 2024, Jeník only appeared in 22 games for the Coyotes, scoring four goals and six points while averaging fourth-line minutes.
It was after the 2023-24 campaign that Jeník eventually requested a trade, and he was traded to the Senators. Since then, he has primarily played for the Belleville Senators, scoring 21 goals and 46 points in 93 contests.
Meanwhile, Bolduc, who is a few years older than Jeník, was in his first season with the Kings organization. Playing for the Ontario Reign this year, he’s scored five goals and 21 points in 56 games with a +7 rating.
Before his time with the Reign, Bolduc spent several years in the New York Islanders organization, playing for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Islanders. He was an effective two-way defenseman for several years, scoring 28 goals and 92 points in 211 games with a -54 rating.
Kings, Sabres Loan Kaleb Lawrence, Nikita Novikov To Each Other’s AHL Affiliates
The Kings and Sabres have completed the first post-deadline swap – of sorts. Instead of making a trade (which is permitted with heavy restrictions) after last Friday’s deadline, they’ve opted to instead loan a pair of players to each other’s top developmental affiliate. The Kings will loan forward Kaleb Lawrence to the Sabres’ AHL club in Rochester while L.A.’s affiliate in Ontario receives defenseman Nikita Novikov on loan from Buffalo, per John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor.
Doing it this way could preface an offseason swap of the two prospects, but it does not yet transfer their NHL rights. There was nothing stopping them from making a trade now, as they’d still have been allowed to finish out the season in the minors, but doing so would have made Lawrence ineligible to suit up for the Sabres and vice versa for Novikov and the Kings. By simply loaning them outside the organization, Lawrence technically remains eligible to be recalled back to the Kings’ roster to play this season, and Novikov could still be added to the Sabres’ roster.
Recalls for either are unlikely, though. Lawrence has another year left on his deal, while Novikov is a pending RFA. If both were RFAs, there might have been the option to non-tender them to complete an NHL-rights swap for next year in July, but instead, the Kings will need to send Lawrence to Buffalo in an official trade for Novikov’s signing rights after the season ends if it’s still something they’re interested in.
Lawrence, 23, was a seventh-rounder by L.A. in 2022. The selection was almost entirely by virtue of his 6’7″, 229-lb frame. He’d played just two Ontario Hockey League games over the preceding two seasons due to COVID and injuries, but finished out his junior career with 41 goals and 82 points in 149 career games. He hasn’t been much of a factor since turning pro in 2024, though. He split last year between Ontario and ECHL Greenville, recording a 13-11–24 scoring line in 52 games across the two leagues. This year, he’s stayed on the AHL roster but barely played after missing nearly three months with an injury – just three assists in 16 games to this point in the season.
Buffalo needed some minor-league forward depth, so outside of how they feel about Lawrence long-term, it fills a short-term need. Rochester lost one of its best talents when the Sabres traded Isak Rosen to the Jets in the Logan Stanley deal last week, and Noah Ostlund will be ineligible for the Calder Cup Playoffs after establishing himself as a top-niner in Buffalo.
Novikov, 22, has a bit more of a pro track record. He was a sixth-round selection by Buffalo in 2021 and came over from Russia two years later. The 6’3″ lefty had an impressive rookie campaign in Rochester, posting 23 points and a +20 rating in 65 games. In the two seasons since, he hasn’t shown much of any forward progress, though. He’s continued as a legitimate top-four piece in the minors but hasn’t seen a change in his offensive or two-way performance. Buffalo has plenty of organizational depth defensively, so he likely welcomes a move to a place where he may have a bit better shot at climbing the ladder to an NHL role.
Los Angeles Kings Recall Jared Wright
According to a team announcement, the Los Angeles Kings have recalled depth forward Jared Wright from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The Kings reassigned Kenny Connors and Wright yesterday to ensure that both remained eligible for the 2026 Calder Cup playoffs.
Until then, it appears that Wright will remain on the NHL roster for the next little while. Wright, 23, was drafted 169th overall by Los Angeles in the 2022 NHL Draft and is in his first full season actively playing for the organization.
Before his time in professional hockey, Wright spent three years at the University of Denver. He was a decent secondary scorer throughout his tenure with the Pioneers, scoring 32 goals and 54 points in 122 games with a +35 rating. He helped the program win the National Championship in 2024.
As expected, he has spent much of the year with AHL Ontario, with promising results. He’s currently sixth on the team in scoring with 17 goals and 30 points in 54 games with a +27 rating. Compared to the rest of the league, he ranks 12th in scoring among all rookies.
Los Angeles doesn’t have much to lose by seeing what Wright can do in the NHL for the rest of the season. The team had a mixed deadline, shipping Corey Perry to the Tampa Bay Lightning, acquiring Scott Laughton from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and signing Mathieu Joseph. Of course, the Kings made their big move before the Olympics, acquiring Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers.
Kings To Wait Until Summer To Discuss Scott Laughton Extension
The Los Angeles Kings are in no rush to cement Scott Laughton into their lineup. The team will wait until the summer to talk about extending Laughton per Mayor’s Manor. Los Angeles acquired Laughton before the Trade Deadline in exchange for a conditional 2026 third-round pick that could become a second-round pick if the Kings make the playoffs.
Laughton fell to a fourth-line role with the Maple Leafs this season. He only racked up eight goals and 12 points in 43 games with Toronto, while averaging 13:40 in ice time. Laughton has made up for low scoring with a 56.7 faceoff percentage and 78 hits. Those marks ranked third and fourth on the offense respectively. But a quiet season hasn’t meant a bad season for Laughton. He was one of Toronto’s most impactful penalty-killers, only allowing eight goals-against, second-fewest among the Maple Leafs’ routine penalty-killing units behind Matthew Knies (six goals-against).
Laughton was once a locked-in piece of the Philadelphia Flyers’ middle-six. He was a reliable, two-way center and served as one of the club’s alternate captain from 2022 to 2025. Laughton brings a spark of reliable, depth impact that could benefit a Kings lineup recently gutted by injuries to Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko.
The Kings will get a chance to test out that impact with 21 games left in the regular season. Laughton should step into Los Angeles’ third-line center role – a boost over his deployment in Toronto – where he will likely anchor a rotation of wingers. The Kings currently have newcomer Mathieu Joseph and rookie Jared Wright in bottom-six roles, but Laughton could soon be flanked by Kenny Connors, Trevor Moore, Jeff Malott, or another AHL call-up. His ability to support a flux of partners could go far in proving Laughton’s ability to anchor the Kings’ bottom-six through the next few seasons.
Los Angeles carried $16.77MM in projected cap space through the Trade Deadline and will only become richer when Anze Kopitar‘s $7MM cap hit comes off of the books this summer. The Kings will have all of the funds that they need to re-sign Laughton to a reasonable deal after his current five-year, $15MM contract comes to a close. A new deal for the 31 year old could be in the realm of two or three seasons and between $2MM and $3MM. If the Kings opt not to keep Laughton around, he would become a popular bit of veteran depth on a thin center market this summer.