In this edition of Los Angeles Kings news & rumors, I’ll discuss a few players heading into COVID protocol as some come out, the lines we might see on Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights, and the team’s newly named stadium.
Kings COVID Roster Moves
On Sunday, head coach Todd McLellan announced that both Dustin Brown and Olli Maatta would be entering COVID-19 protocol, while defenseman Drew Doughty would be activated off the list. Losing Maatta is canceled out by Doughty’s return, but the Kings will need to find someone to replace Brown on the top line. There are several options to replace him, and it looks like Alex Iafallo will take his spot, with Trevor Moore moving onto the second line.
I would have preferred Arthur Kaliyev be given a chance in the top-six over Moore, but McLellan trusts Moore to step up, and his superior 200-foot game likely plays a big role in that. The top-six that practiced Sunday lacks firepower, but that’s been an issue for the Kings for a while now. Martin Frk and Jacob Moverare were added to the taxi squad after the NHL announced they were bringing them back.
Turcotte in the NHL
With Phillip Danault and Quinton Byfield in COVID protocol, 2019 fifth-overall pick Alex Turcotte was called up from the Ontario Reign. He was also placed on the taxi squad, but McLellan mentioned that he might play Tuesday. This would be great for Turcotte, the only top-ten pick from his draft class that hasn’t made his NHL debut. He’s also a great fit to replace Danault, as they play a very similar game. Both players are defensively stellar and offensive play-drivers who make life easier on their linemates.
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