The Los Angeles Kings have hit a bit of a rough patch and are calling in some reinforcements.
2021 eighth-overall pick and December AHL rookie of the month Brandt Clarke will provide those reinforcements.
Clarke is playing at over a point-per-game pace in the AHL right now and should inject some more offense into the lineup.
He'll also provide some help on a power play that's struggled this season.
The interesting thing will be where Clarke plays.
Jordan Spence has been a little up and down this season but has played better than his defense partner Andreas Englund.
However, the Kings experienced having four right-shot defensemen last season and it did not go well.
Regardless, Clarke will almost certainly take over quarterbacking the second unit.
It will also be interesting to see how Clarke handles the step up in physicality.
He put on significant muscle mass over the summer and has handled the physicality in the AHL well.
Clarke will immediately become one of the most talented players on the roster, and arguably the most talented defensemen on the puck.
His defensive zone play and one-on-one defending will also be interesting to watch.
He fits the Kings' 1-3-1 system well as the right defenseman going back to retrieve pucks.
This is a big chance for Clarke, who's had to bide his time in the American League this season.
For Tobias Bjornfot, this is a good opportunity to go back to Ontario and play top pairing minutes.
However, it's hard to see where Bjornfot's future is with the organization.
He's fallen behind both Englund and Jacob Moverare on the pecking order and doesn't seem to be in Todd McLellan's good books.
A lot of Kings fans were upset to see Clarke start the season in Ontario and now he has the chance to prove he belongs in the NHL.