Andreas Englund and Kevin Connauton were offseason signings for Rob Blake, who made the move to challenge other players toward a roster spot. Both players have size and grit in their game. They both have extended periods of NHL experience but have yet to stay with a roster throughout an 82-game season.
The move had the potential to fill the gap of the LHD3 position, but with young players who were drafted by the organization, Tobias Bjornfort and Jacob Moverare, it was seemingly a joust for those two to lose. Looking back, Moverare has only whiffed the NHL, and Bjornfot was waived and obtained by the Vegas Golden Knights, who have just continued to rack up Kings players.
The need was clear: someone to shepherd the group.
The Kings had Kurtis MacDermid, then they had Brenan Lemieux. They oddly swapped for Zack MacEwen last year, who walked in the offseason. Many voices cry out for fighting to be extracted from the game, but it isn't going anywhere.
"He does some of the dirty work for our team that doesn't go unnoticed, at least in our locker room and in the coach's office." Todd McLellan October 31st, 2023
The issue is that Andreas Englund has not been a stabilizing force on the backend. In the 16-game woeful streak the Kings put on before the All-Star Break, he was a -9 with no points.
Englund was never expected to come in and be a point producer, but if you're not putting up points in the NHL, you need to be a contributor on defense, solid on your end, not just here to throw knuckles. Something Englund hasn't done since
He's got seven points in 48 games, with a very fortunate backhand goal going in on October 31st vs the Maple Leafs. He's averaged just north of 13 minutes a night and frequently finds himself rotating late in games next to Drew Doughty or Matt Roy.
The Spence-Englund pairing has been paired together for 378 minutes. He has been paired with Roy for 91 minutes this season and 46 minutes with Doughty.
Seeing the results the Kings were producing to start the year through their first 30-plus games is incredible. Climbing to the second-best winning percentage in the league while deploying a mixed-bag third defensive pair was genuinely remarkable.
Their margin of xGoals For per 60 vs. xGoals Against per 60 is a positive net of 2.8, which is just shy of the top pair net rating by .2. Of course, the top pair also plays against fiercer opposition and has almost 400 more minutes played together.
(For reference the best pairing on the Kings) Matt Roy-Vladislav Gavrikov pair has a dominant net rating of 9.2. (31.5 xGFp60 - 22.3 xGAp60).
What's the Option?
If Arthur Kaliyev is rumored to be on the move, the Kings will listen to offers for him. He has yet to click in Todd's system, and it's hard to see systematic changes under newly minted interim coach Jim Hiller. The Kings would be wise to listen for offers for a heavier player, such as Jordan Greenway, who can grind with some scoring touch.
Greenway has 14 points in 37 games, with six goals to date- only one being a PPG. He's a +3 who averages much higher TOI than Kaliyev at 16:30 TOI. That's the same output as Kaliyev in one less game. Greenway by no means has the same scoring touch as Kaliyev, but he can play more effectively on the boards and be a better fit within the tight defensive structure the Kings deploy.
With a player like Greenway being acquired, Englund does not need to continue his shepherding. The Kings can finally have Jacob Moverare come into the fold full-time.
Anderson-Doughty
Moverare-Roy
Gavrikov-Spence
Moverare and Roy, with their 57 minutes of total TOI, lead the defensive pairings for the Kings with a xGoals % of 78.2%. They have a 3.26 positive net rating from their xGFp60 - xGAp60. They also have the lowest xGoals Against from pairs playing more than 50 minutes together on the roster, with 1.2.
The Moverare-Roy pairing represents a much better D pairing than the Englund-Spence situation.
If the Kings move Kaliyev, they will want a haul for a naturally gifted goal scorer who had done historical damage in the OHL alongside Alex Debrincat and Steven Stamkos. However, the proper move is a ripple effect that removes Englund's shepherding responsibility so Moverare can play.
Moverare has an underwhelming 26 NHL games under his belt since being among the first of Rob Blake's draft capital in 2016. He's played 145 games in the AHL across four seasons. He was a champion in the SweHL at Frolunda.
He's comfortable in the NHL, cerebral, and makes a great first pass. He needs consistent time in the show.
It's his time.