However, for now, the Kings are juggling a bottom pair that's being dominated at 5-on-5 but plays an impactful role on special teams.
In training camp, one of the main focuses for the Los Angeles Kings was who would fill out the third defense pair.
We knew it would be some combination of Andreas Englund, Brandt Clark, Jordan Spence and Tobias Bjornfot, but we weren't sure what that combination would look like.
Six games in, it's clear which one Todd McLellan and his coaching staff prefer.
Outside of game one, when the Kings were forced to use Englund and Bjornfot because of their contract situation, it's been Englund and Spence for each game.
However, I wouldn't say the third pair situation is fixed. Despite being listed as a pair, Englund and Spence haven't actually played together much.
According to MoneyPuck.com, the pair has played 20 minutes together in five games. By far the fewest of any of the normal pairs.
Of course, they're a third pair so you'd expect them to get less ice time than the top four.
But both Spence and Englund have more time on ice with other partners. Spence has played more time with Vladislav Gavrikov and Englund more time with Matt Roy.
So, it's not as though McLellan, or more specifically Trent Yawney, doesn't trust these players with minutes, but they don't seem to have much trust in them as a pair.
It's easy to see where a potential lack of trust comes from too. Looking at the numbers, in their 20 minutes together, their Corsi for is 37.9%, Fenwick for is 36% and their expected goals share is just 26.7%.
Yes, that's a very small sample size, but with those two on the ice together, the Kings are being heavily outshot and out-chanced.
McLellan was asked about not playing the pair together after the Boston Bruins game.
“Yawns is working the back end, and he feels comfortable using them as he feels fit,” McLellan said. “There’s different types of matchups, physicality and size that’s needed at any given time. I think you’ll see that throughout the year.”
If we take McLellan at his word, their usage is more of a matchup situation than any lack of trust and that seemed very believable after the Bruins game.
They seemed to lean on Englund a bit more in that game against a big, physical Boston team and then gave the extra minutes to Spence late in the game when they were chasing a goal.
That all makes sense. But fast-forward to Tuesday night's matchup against the Arizona Coyotes and it was a slightly different story.
They started the game rolling three pairs, keeping Englund and Spence together, and that pair struggled. Once again, the Kings were heavily outshot and out-chanced by the opposition with them on the ice.
Around the halfway point, they were split up a lot more, playing just seven minutes together as a pair.
That didn't look like a matchup decision to me. It looked like Yawney wanted to avoid putting those two out together.
So, why keep that pair together at all if they won't play as a pair?
The simple answer is special teams. The Kings need a quarterback for the second power-play unit and Spence is perfect for the role.
While Englund's played a role on the Kings' improved penalty kill this season.
I also don't think there's any lack of trust in the players as individuals, just as a pair.
If that is the plan with these two, to sprinkle them into other pairs to keep them warm and use them more as special teams players, that's a fine way to use them.
It plays to their strengths and hides their weaknesses as a pair.
This does put significant stress on the top four to play heavy minutes though. Three of the four are playing over 20 minutes a night with Mikey Anderson playing just shy of 20.
They're asking the top four to log heavy minutes right now and it will be interesting to see what kind of impact, if any, that has on the team as we get deeper into the season.
It will also be interesting to see if Bjornfot or Clarke factor in at any point, especially Bjornfot.
Englund has been just okay so far, posting negative numbers in most statistical categories and not really impressive to the eye test.
Of course, he brings a physical element the Kings don't have outside of him, but is that enough to keep him in over Bjornfot?
Right now it appears to be, it also doesn't seem like there's much faith in Bjornfot right now either.
As always when discussing things at this point of the season, I'll point out that we're talking about a small sample size and things can change quickly.
However, for now, the Kings are juggling a bottom pair that's being dominated at 5-on-5 but plays an impactful role on special teams.