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Viktor Arvidsson

Pacific Notes: Arvidsson, Fagemo, Duclair, Karlsson, Lyubushkin

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The Kings have been without a key winger all season as Viktor Arvidsson works his way back from a back injury sustained during training camp.  It appears they’ll be without the 30-year-old for a while yet as Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times notes that while Arvidsson has started skating on his own, he’s still two or three weeks away from rejoining the team for practice; it would obviously be longer than that before he’d be good to return.  Arvidsson, who had one of his best years last season with 26 goals and 59 points, is currently on LTIR, giving Los Angeles ample room to carry a full-sized roster.  They’ll have to get cap-compliant when the time comes to activate him which could come not long before the March 8th trade deadline.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • Still with Los Angeles, they have returned winger Samuel Fagemo to AHL Ontario, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 23-year-old has been up and down a couple of times now this week, getting into one game with the Kings during that time.  Since being claimed back off waivers in November, Fagemo has been quite productive with the Reign, notching 20 goals in just 24 games.
  • Pending unrestricted free agent winger Anthony Duclair has not yet had any discussions about a contract extension with the Sharks, reports Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. The 28-year-old has eight goals and eight assists in 41 games so far but has also been scratched as of late.  Duclair, who represents himself, said that he expects to sit down at some point with GM Mike Grier to discuss a new deal.  He’s currently making $3MM and with a 31-goal season under his belt on this contract back in 2021-22, he’s likely going to be looking for at least a small raise on that contract.
  • After being recalled late Friday, Canucks forward Linus Karlsson has been returned to AHL Abbotsford, per a team announcement (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has played in four games with Vancouver over his four recalls and is still looking for his first NHL point.  Karlsson has been productive in the minors though, collecting 25 points in 27 games so far.
  • The Ducks announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin was scratched for their game tonight against the Rangers due to an upper-body injury. The 29-year-old has been a regular on Anaheim’s third pairing all season long, logging over 17 minutes a night in 45 games.  While the pending UFA only has four assists, he also has contributed 117 blocked shots and 71 hits and is likely to attract some interest from playoff-bound squads looking to toughen up the back end of their defense corps in the coming weeks.

Morning Notes: Garland, Norris, Arvidsson

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The Vancouver Canucks are receiving interest from multiple teams after granting forward Conor Garland permission to seek a trade earlier this week, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last night on Saturday Headlines. Friedman singled out the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets as parties that have displayed interest but said there are likely other teams that have called the Canucks.

Garland logged a highlight-reel goal in the Canucks’ season-opener last week, but he’s been otherwise held off the scoresheet through two games and has been used quite sparingly by head coach Rick Tocchet. He’s played less than ten minutes in each of the team’s first two contests against the Oilers, and it’s becoming clear there’s no path to any significant role for Garland in Vancouver. The 27-year-old carries a $4.95MM cap hit through the 2025-26 season and has a history of strong middle-six production, something he’s likely to rediscover in a new environment, given his historically strong underlying numbers.

Friedman also added some clarity on what a Garland trade may eventually look like, noting that GM Patrik Allvin is looking to clear between $1MM and $2MM of cap space in this deal. That could come either via a total contract swap or retaining salary on Garland in a deal for draft picks or buriable players.

Elsewhere around the NHL this morning:

  • Also coming from Friedman last night, the Ottawa Senators expect center Josh Norris to return to practice today in a non-contact jersey ahead of their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. A return for their former 35-goal man is not imminent, but Friedman reports the Senators hope Norris will be able to return to contact practice later this week and offer a more definitive timeline for his return. The team has held off placing him on LTIR up until this point, signaling optimism that he’ll be able to return by the end of the month. Norris’ shoulder injury and subsequent setbacks have limited him to just eight games since the start of last season. Norris is beginning the second season of an eight-year, $63.6MM deal carrying a $7.95MM cap hit.
  • Things are not looking up for Los Angeles Kings forward Viktor Arvidsson, who remains on LTIR after missing the first two games of the season with a back injury. It seems this could turn into an even more significant absence, as GM Rob Blake told NHL.com yesterday that Arvidsson “may have to have surgery,” which would put him out on a month-to-month basis and extend his stay on LTIR well past the minimum ten games and 24 days. If he doesn’t have surgery, he will be eligible to return for the team’s November 4 game against Philadelphia. Blake said Arvidsson sustained the injury during practice on the first day of the regular season, and subsequent diagnosis revealed surgery may be an option.

Kings Place Viktor Arvidsson On LTIR

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Oct 13, 3:10 p.m.: The Kings reversed the AHL swaps today, per CapFriendly’s transactions log. Kaliyev is back up on the active roster to serve the final game of his suspension tomorrow, while Laferriere is also joined by Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Jordan Spence, who were brought up with the cap space afforded by Arvidsson’s LTIR placement. This move affords the Kings an extra skater on the roster for the time being, a number that will increase to two when Kaliyev is eligible to play.

Oct 12, 2:33 p.m.: The Los Angeles Kings have placed winger Viktor Arvidsson on long-term injured reserve. This will require him to miss at least 10 games or 24 days of action. The Kings have coupled this with a pair of AHL swaps – sending Arthur Kaliyev and Alex Laferriere to the AHL and recalling Alex Turcotte and Brandt Clarke.

Arvidsson, 30, originally suffered this lower-body injury at a team practice and was originally listed as day-to-day. He now finds himself on LTIR and will miss the rest of October. This is a major blow for a player who was slowly working his way back from bouts with the injury bug. Arvidsson played in 77 games last season, the most he’s played in one year since the 2017-18 season. He tallied 26 goals and 59 points in those games, ranking third on the team in goals and fourth in points.

The Kings now turn towards a pair of rookie talents in Turcotte and Clarke – two high-end prospects that have yet to find their way into consistent NHL playing time. Turcotte has seen 12 career NHL games over the last two seasons but has yet to record a point. This is contrary to the scoring he’s managed in the AHL, where he’s tallied 35 points through 59 games since 2021-22. Brandt Clarke appeared in nine games for the Kings last year, netting two points and recording six penalty minutes. This was an exciting cap to a journeyman season for Clarke; a year that saw him play in the OHL, AHL, and NHL. Both players are former top-10 draftees (Turcotte #5 in 2019, Clarke #8 in 2021) and will look to prove their worth as new members of the 2023-24 Kings roster.

By recalling Turcotte and Clarke prior to placing Arvidsson on LTIR, the Kings made enough cap space to afford the duo’s performance bonuses. They can send the pair down, and recall Kaliyev and Laferriere, prior to their Saturday game with Carolina if they would like.

Kings’ Viktor Arvidsson To Miss Season Opener, Arthur Kaliyev Recalled

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1:46 p.m.: Kings head coach Todd McLellan informed reporters that Arvidsson’s timeline for return is “a bit longer than day-to-day” (via The Athletic’s Eric Stephens). Hence, an emergency recall to give the Kings a 12th forward for Saturday’s game is likely.

1:37 p.m.: Los Angeles Kings forward Viktor Arvidsson will miss tonight’s season opener against the Colorado Avalanche with a lower-body injury, team editorial content manager Zach Dooley relays. The Kings are expected to play down a forward and only dress 17 skaters due to cap constraints.

The team recalled forward Arthur Kaliyev from AHL Ontario today and assigned goaltender David Rittich there after clearing waivers. However, Kaliyev will miss the first two games of the season due to a four-game suspension doled out during preseason play for kneeing Anaheim Ducks forward Chase De Leo. Los Angeles does not have the cap space to recall an additional forward to replace Arvidsson.

Slotting in for the suspended Kaliyev, however, will be 21-year-old winger Alex Laferriere. The 83rd overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft is expected to make his NHL debut on a line with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kevin Fiala.

Playing short a forward creates the option of a $0 emergency recall for the Kings to execute before their second game of the season, which is Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Of course, that would be unnecessary if Arvidsson is ready to return. He’s listed as day-to-day and has not been ruled out for that contest. Arvidsson, 30, enjoyed quite a strong campaign with the Kings last season, recording 26 goals and 59 points in 77 games. He is entering the final season of a seven-year, $29.75MM contract initially signed with the Nashville Predators in 2017 and is slated for unrestricted free agency in the summer.

Pacific Notes: Kings Updates, Comtois, Korczak

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The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein relays updates on a few key Los Angeles Kings players from Kings GM Rob Blake. Firstly, Blake said that veteran winger Viktor Arvidsson is questionable for tomorrow’s season-opening game due to a lower-body injury. Additionally, he added that conversations regarding a potential contract extension for both Arvidsson and fellow pending unrestricted free agent Matt Roy “could come around Christmas.”

Arvidsson, 30, has had a career renaissance in Los Angeles, scoring 26 goals and 59 points last season. Those numbers aren’t far off from the career highs he set with the Nashville Predators, and as a result he could be in line for a lucrative trip to the open market next summer. The impact of Roy, 28, isn’t as easy to point to as Arvidsson’s but he’s an important King all the same. The 2015 seventh-round pick played nearly 19 minutes per night last season and over two minutes per night short-handed, and could command a raise over his current $3.15MM AAV cap hit.

Some other notes from the Pacific division:

  • Per The Athletic’s Jesse Granger, Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy has confirmed that forward Maxime Comtois has been released from his PTO. Cassidy explained that the team was pleased with how Pavel Dorofeyev and Paul Cotter performed in the preseason, and as a result, did not have a spot to spare for Comtois. Comtois played in four preseason games and averaged just over 13 minutes of ice time per night. The former Anaheim Duck went scoreless in those contests and will now have to look elsewhere to continue his professional career, a career that looked so promising just two seasons ago when he scored 16 goals and 33 points in just 55 games.
  • According to CapFriendly, the Golden Knights “appear to have recalled Kaedan Korczak” from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, giving the team a full 23-man roster. This move, according to CapFriendly, would “suggest another LTIR placement” to create the necessary cap space, with the likely candidates for the placement being Zach Whitecloud or Alec Martinez. Both Whitecloud and Martinez are currently on regular injured reserve, and if one is expected to be absent for a relatively extended period that player could land on LTIR in order to allow for the recall of Korczak.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Scott, Potential GMs/Coaches

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The NHL announced its Three Stars of the Week for March 20 through March 26, with Viktor Arvidsson of the Los Angeles Kings earning the top spot. Arvidsson led the league with five goals and two assists, scoring in each of the three games he played. His performance helped the Kings extend their point streak to a franchise-record 12 games as they rocket up the Pacific Division standings.

Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki was named the Second Star after tallying eight points in three games. Suzuki’s four-point effort in an 8-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets was his first career four-point outing. The Third Star went to Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who posted a 2-0-0 record, a 0.96 goals-against average, and a .972 save percentage. Gustavsson’s 47-save performance in a 2-1 win of the New Jersey Devils was a career-high. The Wild have earned points in 12 of Gustavsson’s past 13 starts dating back to February 11. His excellence in goal for the Wild has helped them continue to climb the Central Division standings without the services of Kirill Kaprizov.

More from around the league this morning:

  • Dave Scott, the chairman and former CEO of the Philadelphia Flyers’ ownership group, Comcast-Spectacor, will be retiring from his positive effective April 17th. Comcast-Spectacor announced the news Monday, ending Scott’s 30-year time at the helm of Philadelphia’s ownership. Dan Hilferty, who was recently appointed as CEO of the company, will take over as chairman and assume both of Scott’s former roles, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
  • ESPN’s Emily Kaplan compiled a list of the top candidates for potential coaching and general manager vacancies, with a lot of familiar names near the tops of both lists. Former Florida Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette, Toronto Maple Leafs assistant Spencer Carbery, and Seattle Kraken assistant Jay Leach made Kaplan’s “ready right now” tier for coaching vacancies, while former Sabres general manager Jason Botterill, Flyers interim GM Daniel Briere, and Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche made the “ready right now” tier for GM vacancies.

 

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.

Injury Notes: Arvidsson, Dumba, Doughty

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Kings general manager Rob Blake met with the media today following his team’s elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs on Saturday, and in his press conference, per Lisa Dillman of The Athletic, he revealed that winger Viktor Arvidsson suffered a herniated disc and will undergo treatment to recover from the injury on Tuesday. Arvidsson did not play in the playoffs due to the injury, and Blake noted that Arvidsson was set to play until his injury re-aggravated in a practice just before the playoffs were set to begin.

Recovery is expected to take three to five months, per Blake, meaning that it’s possible that Arvidsson is not going to be ready for the start of the Kings’ regular season if his recovery is on the slower side. This news is unfortunate for the Kings, as Arvidsson has proven to be one of the Kings’ most important wingers. Despite only playing in 66 games, Arvidsson ranked fourth on the Kings in scoring, potting 20 goals and 49 points. The Kings’ inability to score doomed them in the final game of their series against the Oilers, so if they have any intention of going on another run to the playoffs next season, getting Arvidsson healthy and up to speed will be essential.

Now, for other notes regarding injuries across the NHL:

  • Add Matt Dumba to the list of players who were playing through injuries during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Per Minnesota Wild Radio Network’s Kevin Falness, Dumba was playing through a punctured lung and a broken rib. It’s difficult to imagine what weathering the intensity of playoff hockey would be like under any circumstances, let alone with those two injuries, so Dumba’s performance in these playoffs is extremely impressive given the context of his injuries, even though he ultimately could not lead the Wild to victory.
  • As part of the Kings’ meetings with the media today, Drew Doughty spoke on his situation and the injuries that limited him to only 39 games played (and zero playoff games) this season. Doughty said, as relayed by The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein, that it was a wrist tendon injury that kept him from playing, and that he may have actually been able to return this season if the Kings had made it as far as the Western Conference Finals. Doughty notes that he “feels great” and should be ready for the beginning of next season. Given how well Doughty had been playing before his injury, this news has to be encouraging for the Kings as they seek to continue their rise back to the top of the NHL.

Injury Notes: Saros, Blues, Kings

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Nashville Predators star goaltender Juuse Saros will remain out of the lineup as the Predators look to avoid a sweep tomorrow, per head coach John Hynes. The team will likely continue to roll with Connor Ingram in the net with veteran David Rittich backing him up.

Hynes noted during his availability this morning that Saros is skating now as he recovers from a lower-body injury, but his activities are still limited. Ingram has performed admirably in a tough situation, putting up a .919 save percentage in two starts (three appearances). While Saros could likely amass somewhat better numbers, the Avalanche have hemmed the Predators at every turn and look to be the only team to sweep their way into the Second Round.

Viktor Arvidsson Will Not Play In Game One Against The Edmonton Oilers

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Los Angeles Kings forward Viktor Arvidsson will miss Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers tonight with an undisclosed injury, says The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (link). The news is surprising, as just this morning, Kings Head Coach Todd McLellan said there was a good chance Arvidsson would play tonight.

What exactly the nature of Arvidsson’s injury is remains unclear, however he did miss the Kings’ final regular season game on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks. The forward did play on Wednesday, recording a normal-for-him 16:53 of time-on-ice in the game, but has not been able to play since. This isn’t Arvidsson’s first injury this season, missing time in early March with a lower-body injury.

Going without Arvidsson will be a challenge for the Kings tonight, as he ranked fourth on the team in points this season with 49 while playing in only 66 games. A well-rounded group, the Kings should be able to draw on the rest of their roster to make up for what they have lost in Arvidsson. Los Angeles acquired the 29-year-old in July in exchange for a second and third round draft pick.

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