The Los Angeles Kings have their last game at home before a 6-game road trip on Thursday, taking on the Detroit Red Wings.
The big news coming out of Kings morning skate is that Brandt Clarke will not play after being called up on Wednesday.
I would imagine there are plans to play Clarke over the road trip, as I can't imagine he's been called up to not play.
As a general rule, I don't like calling a player up to have them sit in the press box, but there's an argument to not rush Clarke into the lineup.
Still, he can't spend too much time in the press box, if that's the plan, he should remain in the AHL.
The other big news from this morning involved Tobias Bjornfot, who was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights Thursday morning.
A former first-round pick, losing Bjornfot for nothing stings.
He was clearly out of favor with Todd McLellan and the coaching staff, with no clear path to a permanent roster spot though.
At this point, his stock was likely worth very little so you don't lose out on much.
The bigger concern with Bjornfot is the stalling of his development.
Obviously, not every player is going to hit, but a first-round pick who's career started off promisingly shouldn't be lost to waivers just a few years down the road.
Hindsight is 20-20, but it certainly appears that Bjornfot was mishandled. He was likely called up too early and then given up on.
It will be interesting to see how Bjornfot does in Las Vegas, if he can revive his career there.
The 2019 first-round that once looked so promising is looking like a bust for the Kings.
It's success is now solely on the shoulders of Alex Turcotte.
Looking back at tonight, David Rittich is going to be the starter and the Kings' lines are expected to be the same as they were to end the Toronto Maple Leafs game.
Projected Los Angeles Kings Lines:
Forwards:
Quinton Byfield - Anze Kopitar - Trevor Moore
Alex Laferriere - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala - Phil Danault - Carl Grundstrom
Trevor Lewis - Blake Lizotte - Arthur Kaliyev
Defense:
Mike Anderson - Drew Doughty
Vladislav Gavrikov - Matt Roy
Andreas Englund - Jordan Spence
Goalies:
David Rittich
Cam Talbot