Nate Thompson Released From PTO
The Los Angeles Kings announced a huge group of cuts today, and among them was veteran forward Nate Thompson. While most of the group is headed to the minor leagues to continue with the organization, Thompson will need to find a new home if he’s to continue his NHL career.
Now 37, Thompson has played 844 regular season games in the NHL, and another 86 in the postseason. The 2003 sixth-round pick worked his way p to the NHL with the Boston Bruins, and has also suited up for the Kings, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, and Winnipeg Jets.
Last season, in his second go-round with Philadelphia, Thompson scored just a single goal and three points in 33 games. Never known for his offense, the versatile bottom-sixer has always been asked to play a physical brand of defensive hockey, win his fair share of draws (he was at 55.7% last season), and contribute on the penalty kill. With nearly 1,500 career hits, more than 600 blocked shots, and more than 4,400 won draws, he’s been pretty successful at each.
Still, it’s hard to see him becoming a regular in an NHL lineup at this point, after now hitting the open market again just a few days before the season begins. Perhaps a team dealing with injuries down the middle will pick him up but it is far from guaranteed that he earns a contract before opening day.
Waivers: 10/03/22
The waiver wire is full as teams continue to get closer to regular season rosters. These are the players available today, after Radim Zohorna and Magnus Hellberg were claimed from yesterday’s list.
Anaheim Ducks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Trey Fix-Wolansky
Gavin Bayreuther
Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild
Joe Hicketts
Joseph Cramarossa
Tampa Bay Lightning
Winnipeg Jets
Kings Forward Jacob Doty Receives Two-Game Suspension
The Department of Player Safety has handed down another suspension, announcing (video link) that Kings forward Jacob Doty has received a two-game suspension for interference on Sharks winger Jeffrey Viel.
The incident occurred midway through the second period in Wednesday’s preseason contest. Doty was assessed a five-minute major penalty along with a game misconduct on the play. Viel, meanwhile, was able to remain in the game.
The league’s ruling states that the suspension is to “be served in the next two consecutive games in which he is eligible to participate for his Club”. In this case, it’s likely the next two preseason games that the 29-year-old won’t be suiting up for. Doty has spent the last three seasons in the Kings’ farm system, primarily playing with AHL Ontario; he had three points and 89 penalty minutes in 41 games with the Reign in 2021-22.
Kings Forward Jacob Doty Will Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
- The NHL Department of Player Safety announced today that Los Angeles Kings forward Jacob Doty will have a hearing tomorrow related to interference he committed on San Jose Sharks forward Jeffrey Viel in last night’s 3-1 preseason Sharks victory. While Doty is playing in Kings preseason games and attending camp, he is undoubtedly a depth piece for Los Angeles. Doty had just three points in 41 AHL games last season to go along with 89 penalty minutes, so while this disciplinary hearing is an unfortunate development it’s unlikely to have any major impact on where Doty is playing this season.
Waivers: 09/29/22
Waivers will officially open today, meaning teams around the league can start cutting eligible players with the purpose of sending them to minor league clubs. While the full list will come out at 2 pm ET, some have already started announcing their initial placements. You can see all of the day’s cuts here, but we’ll also keep track of just the waiver portion in this post.
Arizona Coyotes
F Michael Carcone
F Jean-Sebastien Dea
Colorado Avalanche
F Charles Hudon
F Spencer Smallman
D Andreas Englund
D Brad Hunt
D Joshua Jacobs
G Jonas Johansson
Los Angeles Kings
New York Islanders
F Richard Panik
G Kenneth Appleby
New York Rangers
This page will be updated throughout the day
Kings Cut Six From Training Camp
Los Angeles Kings (via team release)
Jonathan Quick Plans To Play Past 2022-23 Season
- Two-time Stanley Cup champion goalie Jonathan Quick today told The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein that he plans on playing past this upcoming season, his 16th in the NHL. Quick is entering the final season of a 10-year, $58MM contract extension signed with the Los Angeles Kings in 2012.
Alex Turcotte Still Dealing With Concussion Trouble
- Kings center Alex Turcotte is on the roster for their rookie tournament but AHL Ontario head coach Marco Sturm told reporters, including Andrew Knoll of the Los Angeles Daily News, that Turcotte has not been cleared to participate yet. The 21-year-old sustained two concussions last season, the second of which came in the playoffs. Evidently, the symptoms from that one are still lingering which could have his ability for the start of training camp next week in question.
Kings May Be Interested In Long-Term Extension With Mikey Anderson
- A final note from Friedman today, the Los Angeles Kings may have been interested in trying to sign defenseman Mikey Anderson to a long-term contract extension. As he elaborates, Friedman believes the team had talked to him about what it would take to get a long-term deal done, but just didn’t have the ability to fit it in. The Kings and Anderson will be able to sign another extension beginning on January 1st of next year, and though Friedman didn’t say a long-term signing is going to be announced then and there, he does believe Los Angeles was able to get a sense of what that deal might have to look like and can better handle it in the future. Rumors that the Kings could try to sign Anderson long-term are interesting considering the defenseman signed just a one-year, $1MM contract a few days ago, causing some to wonder that if that was the price on a one-year pact, it couldn’t have been all that much more for four or more years. Though that might be the case, the recent signings of Anderson an fellow defenseman Sean Durzi leave the team with just under $500K in cap room, which would be a tight squeeze if Anderson’s number came in just under $1.5MM per season, but on a long-term deal for a promising young defenseman, that number may well have been higher.
Los Angeles Kings Sign Sean Durzi
With training camp just a few days away, the Los Angeles Kings have finished up some pressing business. Sean Durzi has signed a new two-year contract with the club that carries an average annual value of $1.7MM. The restricted free agent did not have arbitration rights this season.
Durzi, 23, burst onto the scene in his rookie year with 27 points in 64 games, while averaging close to 20 minutes a night for the Kings. Despite that strong performance, he stayed relatively under the radar, not earning a single vote in the Calder Trophy discussion and seemingly surprising the entire hockey world when he and the Kings pushed the Edmonton Oilers to seven games in the first round.
Fans in Los Angeles certainly weren’t shocked though, as Durzi had made great strides in the minor leagues over the last few seasons and stepped into the NHL as a polished offensive option.
Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Jake Muzzin trade (that also netted the Kings Carl Grundstrom and Tobias Bjornfot), Durzi had 50 points in 91 games for the Ontario Reign of the AHL, somewhere he doesn’t project to play for quite a while. His performance in the playoffs, when he logged more than 21 minutes a night in the first-round series, along with his youth and offensive upside, make him a pretty attractive piece for the team to build around.
Along with Bjornfot, Michael Anderson, and Jordan Spence, the Kings actually have quite the impressive group of young defensemen ready to lead the way this year, not to mention Brandt Clarke and Helge Grans on their way as top prospects.
A contract like this, which will leave Durzi a restricted free agent again at its expiry, comes with the potential for huge surplus value if he can continue to improve. A $1.7MM cap hit is very affordable, and if Durzi steps into a regular top-four role with powerplay time, he will almost certainly outperform the deal right away.
As with every bridge deal, however, the team may have to pay for that bargain later, if Durzi is deserving of a long-term contract down the road. His next deal will certainly be buying out UFA seasons, meaning the price tag will go higher. He will also have the benefit of arbitration rights, an important factor for defensemen who rack up points like the smooth-skating youngster.
No matter what, for the next two years Durzi will be locked in as an inexpensive option for the team while Matt Roy and Sean Walker‘s remain on the books. After the 2023-24 season both of those players are scheduled for unrestricted free agency, which will give the team a chance to reassess the financial situation.
The Kings have now completed their RFA negotiations for the summer and will focus on training camp later this month.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images