The Los Angeles Kings have had quite the offseason. GM Ken Holland added depth and experience but could have also created a situation. While the roster is arguably better, the defense is now crowded, and the Kings are relying on the players to figure it out. Who sits, who plays?
Defensemen who can play with Los Angeles from game one include Drew Doughty, Brandt Clarke, Joel Edmundson, Mikey Anderson, Kyle Burroughs, Codi Ceci, Brian Dumoulin, and Jacob Moverare. The average number of defensemen on an NHL roster is six, but some organizations go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. Is this what Los Angeles will do? Or will head coach Jim Hiller let the players determine who plays in training camp?
Los Angeles now has a more experienced group on the back end.However, Moverare may play his way onto a pairing in training camp. Burroughs is another player who may play, sit, or be sent down to the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League.
One has to figure that the top four are set without a minute of hockey being played. It will be the bottom pairing that will be interesting to see how that plays out. The pairings may look something like this; Anderson-Doughty, Edmundson-Clarke, Dumoulin-Ceci, and either Moverare or Burroughs as the extra defensemen. However, with injuries and camp things could change quickly.
With the overdose of defensemen, it is also possible that Holland may have another transaction in mind. Could one of these defensemen be part of a big move? Will one get released before game one of the 2025-26 season? Plenty of questions surround the defense as it stands today and they may need to figure it out themselves. Either way, the defense will be the position to watch, good or bad, throughout the season.
The special teams pairing needs to be figured out. Do the Kings go with Doughty on one power play and Clarke on the next, playing one defensemen and four forwards? The penalty kill was good last season but how does the additions of Ceci and Dumoulin change how that operates? Not only does Hiller have to figure out who plays with whom, but also how to pair out the special teams. Minutes may be at a premium with so many solid defensemen this season. Trial and error will be the way to go and hopefully it will not mess with the Kings chemistry.
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