With opening night looming, the Kings were set to take on the Ducks at Staples Center on Saturday to close out the preseason in their last opportunity to evaluate players before making what are suddenly intriguing final roster cuts. Monday is the deadline to submit rosters to the NHL, and the Kings kick off their campaign Thursday.
An ankle injury to rookie center Quinton Byfield, whom Kings Coach Todd McLellan said Wednesday would have almost certainly been on the roster for Game 1 had he been healthy, has opened a roster spot as well as opportunities to move around the lineup.
One player of interest is winger Arthur Kaliyev, the Uzbeck-American with a precise shot and titillating one-timer. Kaliyev, 20, scored a hat trick in Wednesday’s 6-3 win over the Ducks, and saw longtime friend Alex Turcotte tally as well. While Kaliyev was happy about the development, he wasn’t concerned about saving any pucks for posterity when asked if anyone snagged the biscuit from his third goal.
“I don’t know; it’s preseason,” Kaliyev said with a smile.
But Kaliyev has been making his preseason count, not only with three goals Wednesday but with attention to detail in other areas of the game. Well-known for his goal-scoring ability, Kaliyev has had to make strides away from the puck, improving his defensive game and offensive positioning.
“He still has a lot to work on, but as I mentioned the width of the gap from last year to this year is closed,” McLellan said. “He’s picked things up, he’s done things well and he’s pushing for a roster spot. Will it be right away? I don’t know.”
McLellan continued to be cautious about Kaliyev’s status Friday, mentioning current big-ticket players he’d coached early in their careers, like Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse, who cut their teeth in the minors. But Kaliyev has continued to skate as part of the Kings’ core four lines and primary group in practice.
Moore in the middle, Maatta on the mend
The injury to Byfield, a center, opened a potential spot for Kaliyev, a winger, because of the versatility of forward and San Fernando Valley native Trevor Moore. The spark plug and penalty killer has primarily been a left wing in black and silver, yet he has experience at center, including for the red, white and blue at the 2021 World Championships.
Moore centered a top scoring line for the Americans and produced to the tune of nine points in 10 games and a plus-seven rating, helping the United States to a bronze medal.
“He had a tremendous tournament, he played in the middle there, he commanded the ice when he played there, on the big ice surface,” McLellan told reporters Friday.
Defenseman Olli Maatta has been skating without contact, progressing toward a return. The veteran projects to be the Kings’ seventh defenseman at the outset of the season if available.
Toews may be ready, Price is not
Two of the most venerated names in the NHL, Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews and Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price, have provided updates as to their statuses.
Price, 34, led the Canadiens unexpectedly to the Stanley Cup Final last season. He is the league’s highest -paid goaltender and the last netminder to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. After an offseason that saw him recover ahead of schedule from a torn meniscus and be exposed in the expansion draft (he was not selected), Price appeared physically ready to begin the season with a reduced workload.
But Price has entered the NHL and NHLPA’s player assistance program voluntarily, and will be away from the ice for at least 30 days. While few specifics are given in such situations, the context of comments from the Canadiens Coach Dominique Ducharme and an Instagram post by Price’s wife Angela imply that Price is attending to his mental health.
Toews, 34, missed all of last season due to chronic immune response syndrome, but the center and Chicago captain said he feels ready to play in its opener against the Minnesota Wild.
Toews has been one of the winningest players in league history, having won two Stanley Cups, two Olympics gold medals, two World Juniors Under-20 Championship gold medals, a World Cup and a World Championship gold medal. He went nose-to-nose with the Kings in 2013 and 2014, when the Blackhawks won a conference finals series on their way to a Stanley Cup before the Kings returned the favor a year later.