Kings Should Commit to Young AHL Star to Fill Top-Nine Hole

The Los Angeles Kings have all but set their roster. After Quinton Byfield and Jordan Spence sign their extensions, the Kings will be up against the cap and have limited options to add players. 

For many, there's still a gaping hole in LA's top nine. 

We've seen their plan to sprinkle hard-working complementary forwards into the top nine, working off their core of talented forwards. I get the plan and there's sense to it.

However, for many giving top-six roles to Alex Laferriere and Tanner Jeannot does not inspire confidence. It's nothing against these two, they're both solid players who can contribute in a meaningful way to the team, but a top-six role is a bit generous for them.

Rob Blake recently mentioned they expect young players to bolster the team, but also indicated he expects them to work their way up through the fourth line.

This is the wrong way to operate especially when you have some big holes in your lineup you can fill with youth.

One of LA's biggest holes, a right-shot scoring winger. They didn't target one in free agency and are now left with just Laferriere, Akil Thomas and Trevor Lewis as obvious options to fill that role.

None of those players seem an obvious fit unless Laferriere discovers his goal-scoring from college or Thomas can really hit at the NHL level.

Instead of hoping one of those hardworking players finds NHL scoring, the Kings should turn to the AHL's best goal scorer last season, Samuel Fagemo.

Fagemo's 43 goals in 50 games placed him second in the league with 17 fewer games than the league leader. Yes, I hear the calls that, "he's just another Martin Frk!" 

Maybe, but maybe he isn't. It's worth giving Fagemo 25 games with a significant role to find out. 

If Fagemo gets significant minutes in the top nine and power play time, he'll score goals.

Blake wants the team to be more physical and harder to play against, that's great, the Kings needed that element, but they can't overcorrect and forego players who can produce. 

Fagemo's a hard worker in his own right, even if he isn't physical and he deserves a shot in LA. Not a shot on the fourth line where he'll never find success, a shot to play the game that has gotten him to this point.

He won't create a ton of offense for himself and he's never going to put a defender through the end boards, but he'll put pucks in the net if he gets chances.

Playing on Quinton Byfield's wing, opposite of Kevin Fiala, there should be plenty of chances for Fagemo to shoot too. The same goes for playing on Phil Danault and Trevor Moore's wing, players who can make up for any of Fagemo's defensive warts.

There have also been some complaints about Fagemo scoring a lot of his goals on the power play, 19 of his 43 came on the man advantage last season.

That's a strength, not a weakness. The Kings' power play needs help with Viktor Arvidsson gone and desperately needs a right shot. They likely needed to flip their power play without an obvious right-shot, net-front option, so flip it and set Fagemo up for one-timers.

Again, for all of Fagemo's flaws, one thing you can count on is him hammering home goals from the left circle on the power play. Stop hyper-focusing on players' weaknesses and take advantage of their strengths. 

Fagemo's big chance to make the roster came two summers ago when the team claimed he had a bad camp that lost him his spot to both Arthur Kaliyev and Gabe Vilardi. Fagemo hasn't had a real chance since and should get it this summer.

Maybe he is a classic tweener player who lights up the AHL but can't produce in the NHL. Or he's a 20-goal-scoring middle-six winger who adds a new element to your power play.

The Kings have nothing to lose finding out if he's the latter. He fills a need for their roster and deserves his shot to prove he's a top-nine quality NHL forward.