{"id":361156,"date":"2025-12-21T03:55:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T03:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/361156\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T03:55:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T03:55:05","slug":"12-20-practice-moore-hiller-on-danault-kopitar-kuemper-updates-todays-alignment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/361156\/","title":{"rendered":"12\/20 Practice – Moore, Hiller on Danault + Kopitar\/Kuemper updates & today’s alignment"},"content":{"rendered":"

The LA Kings hit the ice for practice today at Toyota Sports Performance Center, following a team day off yesterday.<\/p>\n

A few updates, right off the bat.<\/p>\n

First things first, the Kings were without forward Anze Kopitar and goaltender Darcy Kuemper. <\/p>\n

Kopitar averaged over 20 minutes per game on the team\u2019s recent roadtrip and Hiller pointed to that usage, combined with the long flight back, as reasons why it made sense to simply give the captain an extra day off to recover. He added that Kopitar will re-join the team for practice tomorrow. With two practice days this weekend, the Kings can afford to give the veteran an extra day as needed. No issues expected there that would put his availability for Monday\u2019s game against Columbus in doubt.<\/p>\n

For Kuemper, he remains on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, sustained last week in Dallas when he was checked in the head by Stars forward Mikko Rantanen. Kuemper has not yet returned to the ice to my knowledge and was definitely not with the full group today. In terms of a timeline, Hiller did not have a new update on Kuemper\u2019s status, which means that the goaltenders presently available are Anton Forsberg and Pheonix Copley. Certainly doesn\u2019t feel like they\u2019ll have Kuemper this week, but we\u2019ll continue to monitor that situation with the Kings in action on Monday and Tuesday. <\/p>\n

For the players who were on the ice, here\u2019s what we saw in terms of alignment \u2013<\/p>\n

Foegele \u2013 Malott \u2013 Kempe
Fiala \u2013 Byfield \u2013 Laferriere
Moore \u2013 Turcotte \u2013 Kuzmenko
Armia \u2013 Helenius \u2013 Perry<\/p>\n

Anderson \u2013 Doughty
Edmundson \u2013 Clarke
Dumoulin \u2013 Ceci
Moverare<\/p>\n

Forsberg \/ Copley<\/p>\n

Malott is the placeholder for Kopitar. He\u2019s really not a center but with Kopitar only expected to be out of action today, it makes more sense to plug and play Malott there, rather than mess with multiple lines. Once Kopitar factors back in, this is the group we saw to end the game in Tampa Bay, when Jim Hiller swapped Foegele and Laferriere in-game. Is that what we\u2019ll expect to see on Monday against the Blue Jackets? Honestly, not sure. Hiller didn\u2019t give a ton away in that department but did share that he likes the way that Foegele and Turcotte compliment each other in their respective games. Will have more to come on Turcotte, likely tomorrow morning, but he\u2019s gelled well with Foegele at times, just as he has seemed to with Moore and Laferriere. Lots of options. Interested to see where the Kings go in the near future. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Photo by China Wong\/NHLI via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s practice was the first day that Phillip Danault was not a member of the LA Kings since July 27, 2021. That\u2019s a long time. <\/p>\n

Naturally, Danault missed the last four games, the first three of which were flu-related. More on that HERE<\/a>. Now, he\u2019s a member of the Montreal Canadiens organization after his trade yesterday evening and yeah, that\u2019s a little bit strange. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s weird to see a teammate traded, certainly. Goes for a lot of guys in the room, I\u2019m sure.<\/p>\n

For Trevor Moore, he\u2019s played almost exclusively with Danault over the last few seasons. Over the last three years, Moore played more than 2,200 minutes with Danault, compared to just over 500 minutes apart. As much as things have changed, the Moore\/Danault pairing has been a middle-six staple in Los Angeles for some time. When you play so regularly with a teammate, you build a relationship both on and off the ice. That was certainly the case here. The business is the business, everyone understands and respects that. But that doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t personal ties when you see a move like the one the Kings made last night.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I mean, it sucks, I played with Phil for a long time, he\u2019s been my center for a long time, so it\u2019s a tough one,\u201d Moore said. \u201cI knew his family really well, his kids, so it stings, but I\u2019m happy for them to go back home all that kind of good stuff. Wish him the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Moore, he said that speculation around a situation like that gets into the room a little bit, but at the same time, the business is the business. Players don\u2019t talk a ton about that, understanding that a player\u2019s situation is his own. <\/p>\n

Moore said he could see why Danault might\u2019ve wanted a change in scenery, might\u2019ve wanted a move, understanding that it wasn\u2019t the year he was hoping for. So it adds up. Ultimately, Moore didn\u2019t have all the answers. Nor should he be expected to. He\u2019s a longtime teammate, linemate and friend, so he\u2019s a guy you want to hear from after a trade like that. But he also can\u2019t be expected to know exactly what was going on. He did add, though, that he didn\u2019t feel like the move was made to shake up the group, believing it to be more specific to Danault. <\/p>\n

Before Jim Hiller took questions this morning, he began his own availability by speaking on Danault as well. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to talk about Phil, as we know the trade last night and Phil had some great seasons, some great moments here with us,\u201d Hiller said. \u201cI think we\u2019re grateful for his time here, well spent. This season was bit of an anomaly, didn\u2019t go as well for him or as well for our expectations, but we\u2019re happy to see him go to Montreal, where he\u2019s played before, where he had great success and we wish him nothing but the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hiller said that he spoke regularly with Danault this season but declined to share the specifics of those conversations, beyond that they \u201ccommunicated on a number of different things.\u201d <\/p>\n

He added that he was not involved in the conversations with Danault\u2019s agent or Ken Holland, noting that the job of General Manager and Head Coach are separate for a reason. He deferred any thoughts on Danault\u2019s role with the team this season to the player himself, noting that ultimate reasoning behind it is probably a better question for Phil. <\/p>\n

Will have more on Alex Turcotte tomorrow and the opportunity that is presented to him following this trade. Spoke with Turcotte today and he expressed a lot of excitement with the opportunity in front of him.<\/p>\n

Alex Turcotte on his opportunity to play 3C with the Kings \u2013<\/p>\n

“Great opportunity for me\u2026..I’ll be ready for it. I’m confident in myself. Just going to go out there, work as hard as I can, do the best that I can, hopefully produce more and show them what I’ve got.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) December 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Moore and Hiller both indicated that they believe Turcotte is a player who is ready for a bit more and Turcotte himself seems extremely eager to prove that is in fact the case. I\u2019m a Turcotte fan and believe there\u2019s more in there with an expanded role. He\u2019ll get his chance on the third line come Monday and we\u2019ll see what he can make of it. <\/p>\n