For one brief, shining moment, the Kings had a hint of a balanced lineup. Having the luxury of moving Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson to the third line seemed like it could have given the Kings the secondary scoring they’ve been missing for quite some time.
And then: chaos.
#LAKings forwards, via color-coding:
Iafallo-Kopitar-Kovalchuk
Pearson-Carter-Toffoli
Wagner-Kempe-Lewis
Clifford-Amadio-Thompson-Anderson-Dolan— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) October 2, 2018
Suddenly, Ilya Kovalchuk is back on the top line, Toffoli and Pearson get another shot with Jeff Carter, and the third and fourth lines are back to being a mess. Obviously these are just practice lines, and lots of things may change before opening night. But giving Jaret Anderson-Dolan seven minutes a night with some combination of Kyle Clifford and Nate Thompson certainly isn’t going to show off the young player’s skills, or help his development any.
We’ve got lots of opinions here. With the players the Kings have available, how would you structure the lineup?
Kings Things
Emerson Etem will join the Ontario Reign on a PTO. [Kings Insider]
With the injuries to Dustin Brown and Jonny Brodzinski, all those well-thought-out lines are out the window. [Kings Insider]
The Kings raised over $175K for the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles at their annual golf tournament. [LA Kings]
No strangers to early season injuries, the Kings just have to move on and play the game. [Los Angeles Daily News]
More Pacific predictions are coming in and it’s not looking good for the Kings. [CaliSports News]
Goalie prospect Matt Villalta is already making highlight reel saves. [OHL]
Elsewhere in the World
Oh.
When you hear Joe Thornton shaved his beard. pic.twitter.com/f3O6ViosJX
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 2, 2018
Tom Wilson is in trouble again, and even Caps fans are saying enough is enough. [Washington Post]
Thanks to a new sponsorship deal and a stellar rookie season, Brock Boeser is poised to be a breakout start this year. [The Athletic]
Nate Schmidt’s been silent since his statement regarding his 20-game suspension and failed appeal. But should he stay quiet? [HockeyBuzz]
AJ Mleczko will join MSG Networks as an in-studio analyst for approximately 20 Islanders game this season. [Newsday]
Winging It In Motown is running their annual charity challenge based off of points scored by Red Wings players. Last season, they raised more than $2300 for the Concussion Legacy Foundation. [Winging It In Motown]
Confirmation came yesterday that the Canucks are banning players from playing Fortnite on the road. Are teams overreacting to the video game craze? [Hockey in Society]
The Connecticut Whale signed Finnish Olympian goaltender Meeri Räisänen; can she, along with some other new faces, help make the Whale a contender? [The Victory Press]
Watch This Tonight
Start your season out right by getting a first look at our California rivals. The Sharks and Ducks open their seasons tonight in San Jose. Puck drop is at 7:30 pm and the game’s on NBCSN.