The Los Angeles Kings depart Sunday for Edmonton for a pivotal three-game road trip against some serious competition at a crucial time. It's a three-game Canadian swing against Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver.
The trip comes at yet another health juncture for the Kings. Viktor Arvidsson missed over half the season after having successful back surgery to play four games and go back on LTIR. Arvidsson was a massive boost for the club, and the hope is that he can return for the playoffs.
Yet, there was another significant blow to the King's roster. The Kings announced on Saturday that Anderson is now considered week-to-week.
No official timeline was given, but week-to-week never means one-or-two weeks. We're likely looking at a month or more.
The Kings must rely on their forward depth to get through this road trip. While the forward group looks solid on paper, they must be more consistent. The Dubois line with Quinton Byfield on the wing has carried the team out of the All-Star Break, but all even-strength play died on a vine against Nashville in the game prior. We have seen, though, that Hiller is fearless in working the line blender in the game during all situations.
With the injuries continuing to plague the Kings this season, it will become a defining moment for the season to see what can be salvaged moving forward. The Kings have cycled through injuries to Arvidsson, Gavrikov, Copley, Lizotte, Grundstrom, Arvidsson again, and now Mikey Anderson throughout the season. Out of pure speculation, Gavrikov hasn't been the same player since his injury.
They have bodies that can fill more prominent roles come crunch time, but how effective are they going to be? Alex Turcotte is barely whiffing much ice time, and the same goes for Arthur Kaliyev, who has not hit the scoresheet since before his lengthy absence in the press box. The coaching staff has proven that they will bump up the minutes for either Trevor Lewis or Kaliyev/Turcotte, depending on whether they are protecting a lead or chasing the game.
The depth at defense is something that is in a more critical situation.
In the preseason, Tobias Bjornfot and Jacob Moverare could not wrestle away the LHD3 spot from Andreas Englund. Bjornfort is now with the Golden Knights after being claimed in waivers, and Moverare, who was drafted in 2016, has yet to play an entire season in LA and is with the Ontario Reign. With Mikey Anderson's health in question, that leaves just Englund and Gavrikov.
The right side has more talent and replacement value than the left. Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke are two exceptional young right-handed defensemen who are staggered behind Drew Doughty and Matt Roy. While different from Todd McLellan, Hiller has reflected the same approach when utilizing the young right-handed defenseman in the lineup. He has yet to use both in the same lineup.
There's little wiggle room, and the D-core will likely see Spence and Clarke in the lineup unless there is a Moverare call-up. Both players in Spence and Clarke have great offensive outlooks but could be better in their own zone.
They will play their youth at a critical juncture for the upcoming road trip, and possibly one defenseman will play on their offside. They'll look for consistency from the forward group as they need to get players who have gone cold of late going. The road trip will represent the need Rob Blake will explore as the deadline approaches.
With the current state of their health, I would take three out of six points on this trip and be happy.