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Los Angeles Kings Recall Three Players From AHL

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Nov 21: With the team back in action tomorrow night, all three players have now been recalled.

Nov 20: The Los Angeles Kings have announced that they have loaned three players to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Per the team announcement, forwards Rasmus Kupari and Lias Andersson, as well as defenseman Jacob Moverare are headed to the AHL.

Andersson and Moverare were called up a week ago, when the Kings placed Brendan Lemieux on Injured Reserve and sent down Brandt Clarke on a conditioning loan.

Now, both Andersson and Moverare will head back to Ontario. Moverare got skated in one game for the Kings, while Andersson didn’t get into the lineup.

Kupari, on the other hand, has spent most of his season in Los Angeles. The 2018 20th overall pick has four points in 12 games on just over 11 minutes of time on ice per game. Kupari has six points in six AHL games so far this year and should help bolster an Ontario attack that ranks 26th in the AHL in goals scored.

Andersson, 24, was the seventh overall pick at the 2017 draft. Los Angeles acquired him from the New York Rangers for a 2020 second-round pick hoping that a change of scenery would help his development, but things haven’t gone to plan for Andersson as a King. He has just eight points in 43 career games in Los Angeles, although he has been solid at the AHL level. Now back in Ontario, he should resume his role as a top-of-the-lineup AHL contributor.

Moverare, 24, was not a first-round pick as Andersson and Kupari were. Drafted in the fourth round in 2016, Moverare has developed into a nice depth defender for the Kings. The six-foot-three, 210-pound Swede has 20 NHL games on his resume and is trusted for his safe defense-first style.

Moverare’s 19-game NHL run last season included minutes on the Kings’ penalty kill, so expect him to return in that role if the Kings face some significant blueline injuries, as they did in 2021-22.

No corresponding call-ups were announced along with these loans, but it’s possible that Clarke is headed back to Los Angeles in the near future. These moves could also signal that Lemieux, who was sidelined with a lower-body injury, could be nearing a return.

Kings Not Willing To Deal From Defense Surplus As Of Right Now

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  • Earlier today on TSN’s Insider Trading segment, Pierre LeBrun touched on the Los Angeles Kings and their envious predicament of having too many defenseman. As a response, the team has placed defenseman Brandt Clarke on a conditioning loan in the AHL and Jordan Spence, who has proven to be a capable NHL defenseman, is currently a teammate of Clarke’s with the Ontario Reign of the AHL. LeBrun notes that teams have been wondering if the Kings are or will be willing to trade from their defensive depth, however it appears Los Angeles has indicated they are planning to hold onto their defenseman, at least for now.

Los Angeles Kings Place Brendan Lemieux On IR; Recall Jacob Moverare, Lias Andersson

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Prior to departing for a four game road trip, the Los Angeles Kings have made a flurry of roster moves on this Sunday afternoon, the team announced. First, forward Brendan Lemieux has been placed on IR with a lower-body injury. The team has also recalled forward Lias Andersson and defenseman Jacob Moverare from the Ontario Reign, their AHL affiliate. Finally, they have also assigned defenseman Brandt Clarke to Ontario on a conditioning loan.

It’s unclear what exactly the nature of Lemieux’s injury is, however the forward did play in the first two periods of yesterday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, but failed to return for the third period. As LA Kings Insider’s Zach Dooley mentions, Kings head coach Todd McLellan said the winger could be out a “little while.” Though he’s only tallied three points, all assists, in 15 games so far this season, Lemieux has been a welcomed, physical presence in the Kings lineup, notching 28 penalty minutes already on the young season.

Moverare, 24, has bounced between Los Angeles and Ontario quite a bit the past two seasons. The Swedish defenseman made his NHL debut in 2021-22, skating in 19 games for the Kings, but has yet to play in the NHL in 2022-23, despite being on the Kings roster at times. In eight games with Ontario this season, Moverare has a pair of assists. As for Andersson, the former seventh-overall pick has yet to skate in the NHL so far this season either, but has been off to a hot start in the AHL, scoring five goals to go with four assists in just 11 games. While he’s not the physical presence that Lemieux is, if Andersson can carry his solid play into the NHL should he get the opportunity, it could be an intriguing addition for the equally hot Kings.

As to the 19-year-old Clarke, he has not played in the Kings’ previous five games, but not due to injury. The defenseman’s play his been alright through his first nine NHL games, however after scratching him and not making lineup changes since, the Kings have turned in a 4-0-1 record. Although Clarke is not eligible to be sent to the AHL full-time (as he’s still junior eligible), Los Angeles was able to utilize a 14-day conditioning loan, allowing him to get into regular, professional game action with the Reign and still be eligible to rejoin the Kings in two weeks. In that time, Ontario will play six games, which includes a matchup with the San Diego Gulls this afternoon, which Clarke is eligible to play in.

Los Angeles Kings Activate Alex Turcotte; Assign To AHL

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While so many of the other top-ten picks from 2019 have started to pay huge dividends for their teams, one name remains completely scoreless in the NHL. Alex Turcotte, selected fifth overall by the Los Angeles Kings, has had his career limited by concussions so far and has suited up just eight times at the highest level.

Today, there was some good news. Turcotte has been activated from injured reserve and loaned to the Ontario Reign of the AHL. Jared Shafran, Reign communications manager, tweeted out an encouraging quote from the young forward:

It’s been a pretty tough year with the uncertainty of not knowing when I was going to play again or feel normal again. but now I feel the best I’ve probably ever felt. I’m 100%.

A dominant center with the USNTDP and then for one year at Wisconsin, Turcotte started out his AHL career with 21 points in 32 games during the 2020-21 season. He made his NHL debut last year and suited up eight times, but failed to register a single point. Now 21, he’ll try to get his career back on track and fill some of the promise that made him such a high draft pick.

The Kings will likely take his development slow, but hopefully, his concussion issues are behind him and Turcotte can become an impact player for the team down the road. He is still signed through 2023-24 on his entry-level deal and can move up and down between the AHL and NHL without requiring waivers.

Los Angeles Kings Loan Quinton Byfield To AHL

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The Los Angeles Kings have loaned young forward Quinton Byfield to the Ontario Reign of the AHL, the team announced this afternoon. No corresponding move has been announced. The moves comes after Byfield missed the previous six games due to illness.

After winning a regular job in the Kings lineup out of training camp, Byfield was off to a modest start to the season with three assists in eight games. The second-overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Byfield hasn’t yet hit the ceiling the Kings may have been hoping for, however that doesn’t appear to be the reason for the assignment. According to Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider, the move appears to be one that will allow Byfield to get back into game shape after the illness.

That point was furthered by Kings head coach Todd McLellan, who spoke with Dooley. McLellan said Byfield being on the ice in the first place was a great sign, considering the forward had lost a lot of weight. McLellan added that he doesn’t believe a player should lose his place because of injury or illness and that no decision on Byfield or Rasmus Kupari, a fellow Kings first-round pick who has occupied Byfield’s place on the third line nicely, needs to be made yet because Byfield simply isn’t ready to play. Kupari has a goal and an assist in five games with the Kings so far this season.

Kings Recall Rasmus Kupari

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Saturday: Kupari’s stint in the minors was short-lived as the team announced that he has been recalled from Ontario and will be with the team for practice later today.

Friday: The Los Angeles Kings have sent Rasmus Kupari back to the minor leagues, as they return home for four games. Kupari was recalled on October 29 and is still waiver-exempt.

Now 22, the 2018 first-round pick has played in four games this season and recorded one assist. His play in the minor leagues has been inspiring, but it hasn’t turned into a regular spot in this year’s lineup. In 2021-22 he played 57 games and appeared to have taken the next step but with the emergence of other young players and the offseason acquisitions, the Kings’ roster is filled with talented forwards.

Even in the games he did play, Kupari only averaged 11:21 of ice time and not a single second on the powerplay. As a pending restricted free agent, this could have been a perfect platform year for the young forward. But unless something changes, it appears he’ll be heading into offseason negotiations without any legitimate NHL success.

The Kings are back in action tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers.

Los Angeles Kings Recall Rasmus Kupari

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The Los Angeles Kings announced today that they have recalled young forward Rasmus Kupari from the Ontario Reign, their AHL affiliate. Having 22 out of a maximum 23 players on its NHL roster, no corresponding move had to be made to bring Kupari up. The former first-round pick by Los Angeles has yet to play in the NHL this season.

After the Kings announced forward Alex Iafallo had been placed on LTIR, the team in turn recalled forward Austin Wagner from Ontario, but sent him back the next day, leaving them with 22 players. Due to their tight salary cap situation, the team had to place Iafallo on LTIR in order to make space for an additional call-up in his absence. Being at home this week, with nearby Ontario playing just one game on the road in San Jose, and having 13 forwards and seven defensemen already on the roster, the team was able to go without the additional player for a few days. Now, set to hit the road after today’s home contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Kings opted to bring in a familiar face.

Kupari, who Los Angeles selected 20th overall in 2018, has yet to live up to expectation, but at the same time, has shown he belongs as an NHLer. The forward made his NHL debut during the shortened 2020-21 season, recording just a point in seven games, but played a significant amount last season, getting into 57 games with Los Angeles, chipping in five goals and eight assists in the process. The organization opted to have the 22-year-old begin this season in Ontario, but perhaps his impressive start to the season, which includes three goals and three assists in six AHL games, forced the Kings’ hand in calling the forward up.

Snapshots: Samuelsson, Bear, Wright

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Buffalo Sabres fans held their breath last night when freshly extended defenseman Mattias Samuelsson went down with an injury in their game against Vancouver. Now, The Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski reports that Samuelsson avoided a long-term injury but is still set to miss at least “a few weeks,” joining Henri Jokiharju on the list of injured Sabres top-four defensemen.

An exact timeline won’t be had on Samuelsson until the team returns to Buffalo, head coach Don Granato said today, and the injury will force some depth defenders to shine in order for Buffalo to keep up its strong start. Lawrence Pilut will make his season debut in the team’s next game after two seasons overseas, and free-agent acquisition Ilya Lyubushkin will be tasked with replacing Samuelsson as the defensive anchor on the top pairing alongside the red-hot Rasmus Dahlin.

  • It’s no secret the Canucks are in trouble, winless so far to start the year. With injuries and general positional depth weakness hampering their defense, the team has been looking to add, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on 32 Thoughts that the team has checked in on defenseman Ethan Bear as a potential trade acquisition. Bear, the 25-year-old right-shot defenseman, has been thrust down the depth chart in Carolina and has yet to appear in a game this season. The Hurricanes were shopping him prior to the season’s start, and the Canucks have more than enough room thanks to LTIR to accommodate his $2.2MM cap hit. He still has some upside and could provide some better matchups once Quinn Hughes returns to the lineup.
  • Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala ponders whether the Seattle Kraken may opt to send Shane Wright back to the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs after an unimpactful start to the season. Wright hasn’t received many opportunities, he has shown smooth skating and pace, but Bukala points out that Wright’s had some positional issues defensively and may need a bit more development before being able to execute his playstyle properly at the NHL level.

Alex Iafallo Moved To LTIR, Austin Wagner Shuttled

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October 24: The Kings have now loaned Wagner back to the Reign, according to the team. The Kings did not have a game yesterday, and Wagner’s recall was likely just a paper transaction to optimize LTIR relief.

October 23: The Los Angeles Kings announced a series of roster moves this afternoon, headlined by forward Alex Iafallo, who has been moved from regular IR to LTIR. In addition to Iafallo, the Kings have loaned defenseman Jacob Moverare to the Ontario Reign of the AHL and recalled forward Austin Wagner. The move gives Los Angeles 14 forwards to go along with seven defensemen on its active roster.

Iafallo had already been out and on IR since October 18th with a lower-body injury which he suffered in a game on October 17th against the Detroit Red Wings, but placing him on LTIR will create additional cap space that allows the Kings to call up Wagner, who carries a $1.133MM cap hit while sending down Moverare and his $762.5K cap hit. Prior to the transaction, Los Angeles had $521K in cap space. Of note, due to Iafallo’s $4MM cap hit, his trip to LTIR will give the organization more than enough room to work with on the salary cap front while he’s out. Despite the injury, Iafallo has had a tremendous start to the season, contributing two goals and three assists in four games.

Sending Moverare down simply gives the Kings more flexibility when setting a lineup by subtracting their eighth defenseman for another forward, flexibility they’ll continue to need in Iafallo’s absence. The defenseman had yet to play a game this season in the NHL, but does have a pair of AHL contests under his belt in 2022-23, prior to his call-up on October 18th. Wagner on the other hand, is receiving his first call-up of the season after starting the year with Ontario. There, he has two points in three games to start.

Jacob Ingham Out Five To Six Months

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  • A top goalie prospect for the Los Angeles Kings is set to undergo surgery. Mayor’s Manor’s John Hoven reports that Jacob Ingham had back surgery yesterday and is expected to be out for five to six months. It’s a tough blow for Ingham, who’s played sparingly in both the AHL and ECHL over the past two seasons since turning pro. The Kings selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL Draft.

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