There were a number of potential changes to be made after Sunday’s 7-2 loss. Dean Lombardi and the Los Angeles Kings have decided to pull the trigger on one unexpected change heading into Game 3.
Yes, that’s right… Colin Fraser is back.
Two and a half months after being waived, Fraser is back in Los Angeles, with the official announcement coming this morning that he had been recalled from the Manchester Monarchs. Linden Vey was sent down yesterday to make room for Fraser’s arrival.
It’s an interesting decision ahead of tonight’s Game 3. Vey hadn’t played since March 1, and was scratched during the Game 2 debacle along with Tanner Pearson and Jordan Nolan while guys like Matt Greene got additional minutes. Rather than looking for a spark from his young players, however, it looks like Darryl Sutter could be doubling down on veteran presence. On the one hand, Pearson will likely play tonight, while Greene will likely be scratched. On the other hand, the ice time numbers from Game 2 show Sutter moving away from Tyler Toffoli and Alec Martinez as well. Rich Hammond’s latest tweet indicates that Toffoli and Kyle Clifford are likely scratches if Fraser plays…
Clifford, Greene, Fraser, Toffoli stayed out for extra work. Likely one of them will play, others scratched.
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) April 22, 2014
Fraser has two Cup rings, a Stanley Cup Finals goal, and a ton of playoff games on his resume. He also has two points in 33 games this season. Is he the answer to what has ailed the Kings this series? Of course not. But could he provide a boost in Game 3? We’ll see if the Kings think so.