Kings Assign Lias Andersson And Jacob Moverare To The AHL
The season-long shuffle continues for the Kings. In an effort to bank extra cap space, the team has been shuffling waiver-exempt players to AHL Ontario on off days. Today, that trend continues as the team announced that they’ve assigned center Lias Andersson and defenseman Jacob Moverare to the Reign. In doing so, the team drops out of using LTIR and will be able to bank at least a little bit of cap room in advance of tomorrow’s game against Ottawa when one or both will likely be recalled.
Andersson cleared waivers last month for the first time and has spent the bulk of this season in the minors. The 24-year-old continues to be quite productive with the Reign, notching five goals and four assists in 11 games but while he has been up with the Kings for the better part of the last two weeks, he has exclusively been a healthy scratch. Even if it’s just for one day, getting into a game with Ontario tonight when they host Tucson certainly wouldn’t hurt.
As for Moverare, he has been the seventh defender with Los Angeles for the last couple of weeks while Brandt Clarke has been on a conditioning assignment with Ontario, one that is going to come to an end in less than 48 hours. The 24-year-old also cleared waivers at the end of training camp and has played in eight games with the Reign this season while getting into two with the Kings where he has averaged just under 15 minutes a night of playing time.
Los Angeles Kings Recall Three Players From AHL
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.
Los Angeles Kings Place Brendan Lemieux On IR; Recall Jacob Moverare, Lias Andersson
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.