January 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nSo what about Trevor Moore?<\/p>\n
Moore\u2019s status is equally unknown. He was on the ice today, despite the team not practicing, and he has been on the ice over the last few days. Here\u2019s what Jim Hiller had to say after last night\u2019s game \u2013<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure on that one. Obviously, we would like him to based on certain circumstances, so we\u2019ll see. We\u2019ll have to square that around, we\u2019ll have to figure all that out. We may even have to call somebody up, who knows, but we\u2019ll know the answer better tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know a ton beyond that on Moore, so another to ask about in the morning. If he is able to go, the Kings could go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen against San Jose, which wouldn\u2019t be all that surprising, without even requiring a recall. We know that Hiller likes 11 forwards and that would give defenseman Jacob Moverare the chance to come in and play, which he deserves to. He\u2019s been a good soldier and a great teammate as someone who puts the work in, day-in and day-out, and will be about as ready to go as one could be in that position. If Moore can play, he\u2019s essentially a 1-for-1 swap for Armia, in that Armia took his spot when Moore went out, so it\u2019s an easy one. While Armia is arguably the best penalty killer in the NHL, Moore is also a good PK guy who offers a shorthanded threat offensively. That\u2019s probably the easiest possible solution, if Moore can play, with Alex Laferriere likely to get more shifts in the middle in that scenario.<\/p>\n
If not, or even potentially in addition to, we could be looking at 1-2 recalls from the AHL\u2019s Ontario Reign.<\/p>\n
For tomorrow, the Kings don\u2019t need to go overboard, because it\u2019s a home game and Moverare is an option with 11 forwards. It\u2019s the next few days I\u2019d be really looking at, because the Kings go on the road to Winnipeg and Edmonton and I\u2019d be surprised if they made that trip with only 18 skaters, considering the proximity and the back-to-back, especially if one of those skaters is Kopitar, Armia or Moore coming back off an injury. With two players day-to-day and Moore\u2019s status not really known, but essentially in a day-to-day position, a lot could change in 48 hours. We could be looking at more than 18 guys who are healthy enough to go on that plane. If so, there\u2019s no concern. However, if reinforcements are needed for tomorrow\u2019s game or the Canadian trip, there are plenty of options available from the Reign.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m looking first at forward Andre Lee, both based on his play in the AHL this season and his familiarity with the Kings and the Kings\u2019 familiarity with him. Lee played 19 games with the Kings last season in a fourth-line role. Jim Hiller spoke very positively of him and clearly liked his game in that role. When Lee was assigned back to the AHL for good, Hiller\u2019s message was that he could play in a limited NHL role right now, but the Kings wanted him to go down, play top-six minutes in the AHL and add more skill and offensive ability into that mix. At the time, the Kings felt that 20 minutes in the AHL was more valuable for Lee than eight in the NHL. Over the last 12 months, Lee has certainly taken some strides forward. He currently leads the Reign with 15 goals and 27 points and still has the things in his game that endeared him to the coaching staff in the first place. He\u2019s 6-5, plays to that size and brings physicality. Now, he\u2019s a better hockey player than he was last time he was in the NHL. <\/p>\n
Beyond that, other options on the wing would include Nikita Alexandrov, who has 12 points (4-8-12) in 13 games since he was acquired from St. Louis last month, as well as Martin Chromiak, who continues to develop in the AHL and has proven to be a consistent scorer at that level, and Taylor Ward, who has 12 goals this season thanks to a hot start and made a good impression when he was recalled to play in Game 82 with the Kings last season.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also the possibility, though, that the Kings might need a center. If so, I\u2019d look at Cole Guttman. Guttman has good versatility, can play both center and wing, so he could be a good option for the Kings either way. He had a slow start offensively but he\u2019s now collected 19 points (7-12-19) over his last 19 games played with Ontario. Guttman has 41 games of NHL experience with Chicago and has played both center and wing at this level. He\u2019s undersized but I thought he really impressed in preseason in the game the Kings played against Utah in Boise, maybe the best forward on the ice that night. He was signed to be a veteran, top-six guy in the AHL but for moments like this, he\u2019s a viable option.<\/p>\n
Glenn Gawdin, who was second on the Reign last season with 26 goals and 62 points, and Kenny Connors, who has impressed in his rookie season in the AHL, would also be options who could and should be considered if a center is needed. Connors has impressed from Rookie Faceoff right on through the first 32 games of his professional career. Could be an interesting option, as a young, drafted player.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a lot of words to say about something we don\u2019t know. But with the Kings off until tomorrow, I wouldn\u2019t expect a heck of a lot more than that. Will provide more full updates tomorrow morning when we get a better sense of the situation. <\/p>\n