Two transactions for you today, Insiders.

The LA Kings have recalled forward Kenny Connors from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Additionally, the Kings have signed forward Taylor Ward to a two-year contract extension, carrying an AAV of $875,000 at the NHL level. Believe it is a one-way contract extension for Ward.

On Connors, Jim Hiller confirmed that the Kings planned to recall a forward from the AHL’s Ontario Reign, who would meet the team in Detroit. We learned shortly thereafter it would be Connors, who has been recalled from the AHL, the first time he’s been brought up to the NHL during his first professional season.

The Kings certainly needed a center and it makes a lot of sense to see Connors be the guy. Currently, the Kings could be looking at a game tomorrow evening without three of their four centers from opening night. Anze Kopitar (lower-body) and Alex Turcotte (upper-body) are both day-to-day with injuries and Phillip Danault was traded to Montreal last month. Quinton Byfield is the last man standing from those four centers and Samuel Helenius is the only other natural center on the roster.

With Alex Laferriere already filling in at center and Joel Armia tasked with the position during practice today and potentially the game tomorrow evening, it was obvious that the player recalled would need to be a center. Enter Connors, who has put together a nice start to his first professional season with the Ontario Reign at the AHL level.

Connors is one of three Reign players who has played all 41 games this season with the AHL club. He began his professional career on a full-time basis this season after three seasons of college hockey at the University of Massachusetts. Connors has collected 24 points (9-15-24) from 41 games played, ranking fifth on the Kings in goals, assists and points. Connors has a +13 rating, which trails only fellow rookie forward Jared Wright this season.

Connors projects as a two-way center at the NHL level. He has produced at pretty much every level he’s played at throughout his career. Never at an elite level but always at a solid rate, whether that be the USHL, the NCAA or the AHL. Connors is the kind of player who seems to be someone coaches love at just about every level. Values the things at both ends of the ice that seem to be buzz words for most coaches and it hasn’t prohibited him from chipping in offensively as well. I don’t know if he necessarily profiles as a huge offensive producer at the NHL level but there is offensive skill and ability in his game.

Kenny Connors makes it ✌️ for the #ReignTrain!! pic.twitter.com/mT9xL7SpJW

— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) November 8, 2025

On Ward, he’s clearly made an impression of several within the organization that he could be a legitimate option for this team going forward at the NHL level.

Ward has retained his spot in the lineup over the last 10 games, despite situations where he could have come out. When forward Corey Perry rejoined the team, Ward was a guy who could have been sent to the AHL but he was kept with the NHL club and in the everyday lineup. When Trevor Moore returned on Saturday in St. Louis, Ward and the fourth line stayed together, with Jim Hiller indicating that it would be a player in the Top-9 coming out with the way that line has played. They responded with another goal against the Blues and Hiller said today he expects to keep that line together in Detroit as well.

Personally, I haven’t seen anything from Ward that says this guy isn’t a viable NHL player. He’s not the solution to this organization’s lack of scoring but it’s also not a stretch to say he’s helped in that area within his role. Ward has two goals and four points from nine games played, mostly coming in a fourth-line role. He’s scored in each of the last two games with assists from his current linemates, Jeff Malott and Samuel Helenius. There is some offense in his game and he hasn’t looked out of place when pressed higher in the lineup at times.

By NHL development standards, Ward is an older player. He’s 27 and turns 28 in a couple of months. It’s extremely rare to see a player burst onto the scene at that age and become an NHL regular, but we saw it to an extent with Malott over the last 12 months as well. The Kings felt they had a guy in Malott who was perhaps underutilized in Winnipeg and they saw someone who could perhaps contribute at the backend of an NHL roster. Ward was an internal find, signed as a college free agent in 2022, but he put the work in at the AHL level and earned his way up to the Kings. When opportunity called, he seized it. He had a great preseason and the Kings did not forget that. Now that he’s up, he’s built on that and made the most of his opportunity. Good for him.

Moving forward, Ward represents a cap friendly option for the Kings up front. He’s proven to be more than serviceable as a bottom-six player and should the Kings like him as an extra forward, depending on what happens around him, his cap hit of below a million dollars per season is very team friendly for an extra slot. Should he be assigned to the AHL, his cap hit falls below the threshold where there would be a cap penalty. An easy win here for the Kings and a well-deserved win for Ward, who has earned two more seasons of NHL salary. Hopefully some NHL opportunities alongside it.

Game-day coverage to follow tomorrow! Kings are in Detroit as a six-game trip becomes a five-game trip after tonight’s cancellation, with a matchup against the Atlantic Division leading Red Wings on the cards. A good test for sure, with Ward expected to play and Connors an option if the Kings so choose.