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Los Angeles Kings Sign Trevor Moore To Five-Year Extension

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The Los Angeles Kings have reached an agreement on a contract extension with forward Trevor Moore. Per a team announcement, Moore has signed a five-year, $4.2MM AAV contract that will expire in the summer of 2028.

Moore, 27, is a local product, hailing from Thousand Oaks, California, which is around 40 miles away from Crypto.com Arena, the home of the Kings.

Before he was in Toronto, Moore was an undrafted prospect who became a college hockey star at the University of Denver. In three seasons at Denver Moore played in 121 games, scoring 120 points.

Moore had been at Toronto Maple Leafs development camp as an unsigned prospect, and chose to sign his entry-level deal with the Maple Leafs in 2016.

After three years of solid production in the AHL for the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs began to provide Moore with NHL opportunities, but his NCAA and AHL production would not consistently translate to NHL numbers. In Moore’s 52 NHL games with Toronto, he scored just 13 points.

He was traded to Los Angeles in the Jack Campbell / Kyle Clifford deal and has established himself as a two-way winger on the Kings. Finding an excellent fit on a line with Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson, Moore flew past his career-high totals last season. In 81 games he scored 17 goals and 48 points, and also added five points in the Kings’ seven-game playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers.

Moore has 18 points in 32 games so far this season, which is a 46-point pace. That, combined with Moore’s versatility, work ethic, and defensive ability (he plays on the Kings’ penalty kill) led the negotiation to this price point on a long-term deal.

The contract will expire when Moore is 33 years old, meaning there isn’t a major age-related downside risk to this contract. Given Moore’s all-around ability and fit with Danault, this is the sort of contract that is more than fair for both Moore and the Kings.

Picture courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Los Angeles Kings Make Three Transactions

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The Los Angeles Kings have continued their near-daily transaction train, this time recalling Rasmus Kupari and Jordan Spence from the AHL. There is a bit of a surprise among today’s moves, though, as Viktor Arvidsson has been designated as a non-roster player. That means he is away from the team for some undisclosed reason, after playing the last two nights.

With Arvidsson and Drew Doughty unavailable, the team will turn to Kupari and Spence, two young players still trying to establish themselves as full-time players in the NHL. Through 16 games this season, Kupari has registered five points while averaging just over 11 minutes a night. The 22-year-old center has been great for the Ontario Reign, but can’t seem to work his way into more minutes with the Kings.

Spence, meanwhile, has been arguably Ontario’s best player so far, racking up 21 points in 22 games and playing big minutes in all situations. The 21-year-old defenseman saw 24 games with the Kings last year in his first season of professional hockey but hasn’t cracked the lineup this time around. With Doughty out, Sean Durzi carried the load last night, playing more than 23 minutes against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sean Walker took over powerplay duties, a role that Spence could potentially slide into if he gets a chance.

There is no word yet on how long Arvidsson will be away from the team.

Drew Doughty Out Day-To-Day

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The Los Angeles Kings got a comfortable win last night against the Montreal Canadiens, but those two points may have come with a price attached. Today the team announced that top defenseman Drew Doughty would not be playing tonight’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He is out with a lower-body injury and his status is considered day-to-day.

The loss of Doughty is significant due to just how heavy of a role he has been playing on the Kings’ blueline. The 33-year-old Norris Trophy winner has 17 points in 30 games so far this year and is also shouldering by far the heaviest workload of minutes on the Kings’ roster. Doughty averages over 26 minutes per night, including three on the power play and two on the penalty kill. With Doughty out, Tobias Bjornfot looks set to step into the lineup.

Pierre Engvall Suspended One Game

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5:50 PM: The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that Engvall will serve a one-game suspension for his high stick on Durzi.

10:13 AM: Match penalties given for intent to injure come with an automatic review from the league, meaning the NHL has some work to do following the Toronto Maple Leafs-Los Angeles Kings game last night. Pierre Engvall will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety for his high stick on Sean Durzi, which earned him a five-minute major and an early trip to the showers.

The two players were engaged all over the rink, before meeting again at center ice. After they both raised their sticks to battle, Engvall ended up swinging his down and hitting Durzi in the back of the head and neck. The Kings defenseman did not suffer a major injury, but Engvall may end up missing more than just the remainder of that game.

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe afterward said that he didn’t think Engvall meant to make such heavy contact, explaining that “you’ve all watched Pierre play for long enough to know he doesn’t play with an intent to injure.” The 6’5″ forward had just six penalty minutes in 27 games before last night, four of which came against the Dallas Stars earlier this week for another high stick, this time on Jason Robertson.

Given the lack of injury and clean record of the 26-year-old, it seems unlikely for him to get a lengthy suspension. But the Maple Leafs should prepare for life without him for tomorrow’s game against the Calgary Flames. With Nick Robertson suffering a shoulder injury, the Maple Leafs could be down two players from last night’s lineup.

Los Angeles Kings Working On Trevor Moore Extension

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The Los Angeles Kings haven’t had exactly the season they hoped for after last year’s playoff performance, but one continued bright spot has been the play of Trevor Moore. In his latest 32 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman writes that he thinks an extension is “getting closer” for the pending free agent.

Moore, 27, has always been one of the hardest-working players on the ice, using his speed to chase down and steal pucks from opponents or be first in on the forecheck. In a breakout season last year, he scored 17 goals and 48 points during the regular season and then was a real difference-maker in the playoffs, scoring five points in seven games to push Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers to the brink.

This year, he’s been scoring at an even better clip and is on pace to hit the 20-goal mark for the first time. The Kings’ coaching staff obviously trusts him, as Moore is averaging nearly 18 minutes a night, including time on both the powerplay and penalty kill.

In September, Eric Stephens of The Athletic suggested that a multi-year deal of around $3MM per season might be in order, but after another good start, it could climb even higher than that. Complementary, two-way wingers are somewhat unique in that their compensation can vary wildly in free agency.

Blake Coleman turned two outstanding playoff performances into a six-year, $29.4MM contract, for instance, despite never coming close to Moore’s 48-point mark. Ilya Mikheyev landed a four-year, $19MM deal after setting a career-high with 32 points in 53 games. Evan Rodrigues, though, settled for a one-year, $2MM deal after his 43-point breakout last year that was considered by some as a product of playing with Sidney Crosby.

What Moore could get on the open market is a mystery, but if Friedman is right, it may not matter. The Kings have plenty of time to reach an agreement with him that will keep him away from other teams.

Los Angeles Kings Loan Brandt Clarke To Team Canada

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Finally, Brandt Clarke is getting his chance to play for Team Canada at the World Juniors. After not being named to the roster for the 2022 World Juniors, the Los Angeles Kings have now loaned the 19-year-old to Canada for 2023.

Clarke has not played for the Kings in over a month and was recently recalled from an AHL conditioning stint that allowed him five games in the minors. He’s been a healthy scratch since.

Those scratches haven’t necessarily been because of his play. Clarke is sitting at NHL games on the season – one more would cause his entry-level contract to go into effect. If he doesn’t play another game for LA, his contract will slide to next season.

Head coach Todd McLellan spoke on the team’s decision-making progress with where to assign Clarke moving forward:

Sometimes players get rushed and we don’t want to do that with Clarkie. There’s the hockey part, and then there’s all of the strength and professional habits, practice habits, travel habits and teammate habits that are really important and you don’t always get that at the junior level when you play 38 minutes a night and you stay on the power play for two straight minutes. I’m not saying that’s happening with Clarkie, they’re a very well-run team [in Barrie], but that can happen in certain situations. Right now, we think that this is a real good spot for him and we’ll see where it goes.

The eighth overall pick in 2021, Clarke has a goal and three assists in 14 games split between NHL Los Angeles and AHL Ontario this season. Despite notching over a point-per-game on a subpar Barrie Colts team in the OHL last season, Canada did not name him to their 2022 World Juniors roster.

It didn’t harm them – they won gold anyways. But with several players aging out of the tournament, Canada’s defense seemed weaker than last year’s when their selection camp roster was announced Monday. Clarke’s addition undoubtedly brings this team to an entirely different level and solidifies their status as favorites to win back-to-back gold medals for the first time since they won five straight from 2005 to 2009.

Los Angeles Kings Activate Alex Iafallo

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The Los Angeles Kings will have some added scoring punch in the lineup when they take on the Ottawa Senators tonight, after activating Alex Iafallo from injured reserve.

It’s been nearly two months since we last saw Iafallo in a game for the Kings, and he was red hot when he did go down to a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old had five points in the first four games of the year and looked like he might be on his way to setting career-high scoring totals.

Now, after missing 23 games, he’ll slide back into a Kings’ lineup that has somehow managed to stay in a playoff position despite going 13-10-4 on the year. Los Angeles has posted a 3-4-3 record in their last ten but remain in third place in the Pacific for the time being.

Getting Iafallo back won’t fix all of the things that have ailed the club this year, but his speed should give them a different look against the Senators tonight. The first of a six-game road trip, it’s perfect timing for the Kings, who will travel to Toronto, Montreal, Columbus, Buffalo, and Boston before finally returning home for a game on the 17th.

Alex Iafallo To Return During The Upcoming Road Trip

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The Kings are expected to welcome back winger Alex Iafallo to the lineup on their upcoming road trip, reports Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider.  The 28-year-old suffered a lower-body injury back in mid-October after a strong start that saw him pick up at least a point per game in each of his first four contests and has been out since then.  Last season, Iafallo was tied for fifth on the team in goals (17) while finishing sixth in points with 37 and his return will give Los Angeles another proven forward in the middle six to bolster what has already been a strong offense this season with the team averaging just over 3.4 goals per game so far.  He skated on the third line in practice today and could be available as soon as Tuesday’s contest against Ottawa.

Decision Time Is Coming For Kings And Brandt Clarke

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One of the underlying themes for junior-aged players in the NHL is noting when they officially burn the first year of their entry-level contract once they play in their tenth game of the season.  Some teams are comfortable going past that point and are more concerned with the second threshold of 40 games on the active roster when a player accrues a year of service time towards UFA eligibility.  Others try to drag out the decision as long as they can to allow for extra evaluation time.

The Kings are clearly in the latter category when it comes to defenseman Brandt Clarke.  Los Angeles selected the 19-year-old eighth overall in 2021 following a strong season with Barrie of the OHL.  He returned to the Colts last season and simply dominated, notching 59 points in 55 games and did well enough in six preseason games to earn a spot on the opening roster.

Before going any further, it’s worth noting that the agreement between the NHL and CHL prohibits junior-aged players from playing in the minors until their age-20 year (with the exception being if they’ve already played four seasons of major junior).  With Clarke not in his age-20 year, his playing options this season are the NHL and the OHL only.

Los Angeles quickly burned through Clarke’s nine games, the last of which came on November 1st.  At that time, they opted to hold him out of the lineup long enough to satisfy the conditions needed to make him eligible for a two-week conditioning stint with AHL Ontario which supersedes the NHL/CHL agreement in that one scenario and it’s not one that can be used repeatedly.  Clarke went down, played in five games with the Reign, and was recalled on Sunday where he has been scratched ever since.

It’s certainly understandable that the Kings might not want to return him to junior, a league that Clarke has proven all that he really needs to prove.  In that sense, dropping down to a lower level might be perceived as stagnating his development.  However, simply not playing isn’t exactly helping his development either.  There’s something to be gained from practicing with the big club, but that’s only for a certain amount of time before not suiting up becomes problematic.  Plus, keeping a player up with no intention of playing him isn’t the most efficient use of cap space as the Kings could stand to benefit from banking some extra room to use closer to the trade deadline this season.

There’s one way that the Kings could kick this decision a little further down the road.  If Clarke is invited to participate at Team Canada’s training camp for the upcoming World Juniors, Los Angeles could hold him on the roster for a few more days and then loan him to Canada’s squad.  They would then reserve the ability to recall him at that time when they could evaluate him in a few more practices and then decide what to do.  If they were to loan him to the OHL before Canada’s camp begins, they wouldn’t be able to recall Clarke back to Los Angeles.

That would then take them to the OHL trade deadline (January 10th) where they could see if he’s moved to a more favorable situation or if Barrie, who could add top draft prospect Eduard Sale after the World Juniors, loads up, creating a better opportunity for him to return to.  At this point, it appears that this is the route that they’re likely to take.

In the meantime, barring a change of heart that puts him in the lineup in the coming days (they next play Tuesday against Ottawa), it appears the waiting game for Clarke will continue for at least a few more days but with Canada’s camp starting soon, they’ll have a decision to make in the near future.

Kings Loan Aidan Dudas To AHL

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12/4/22: Per a team announcement, Dudas has been loaned back to AHL Ontario.

12/3/22: The roster shuffling in Los Angeles has been rather frequent in recent weeks although it has often involved the same few players.  That isn’t the case this time around as the team announced that they’ve recalled center Aidan Dudas from Ontario of the AHL.

This will be the 22-year-old’s first promotion to the full NHL roster after only previously having a pair of one-day taxi squad stints in the 2020-21 campaign.  Dudas, a fourth-round pick of the Kings back in 2018 (113th overall), has played in 18 games with the Reign this season and is tied for the team lead in goals with six.  He’s in the final year of his entry-level deal and will be a restricted free agent this summer so it appears they want to take at least a quick look to see how he is progressing.

Los Angeles was only carrying 22 players on their active roster following the re-assignment of Tyler Madden to Ontario on Friday.  As a result, they didn’t need to make an additional move to open up a spot for Dudas to be recalled.

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