The Los Angeles Kings are just about finished with training camp. They have their last skate today, as well as five more preseason games, and already there is so much to discuss.
From injuries to new systems to the path of building a new identity, let’s go through everything happening with the Kings and what players are saying about it in this edition of LA Kings News & Rumors.
Kaliyev Stripped of Fresh Start
Just before training camp started, the Kings announced that they had signed forward Arthur Kaliyev to a one-year deal worth $825,000.
After a rough 2023-24 campaign the future of Kaliyev in Los Angeles was uncertain. We knew he expressed interest in finding a new home but there didn’t seem to be much of an appetite for the 23-year-old. Once a player requests a change of scenery and their contract is over, they don’t usually end up re-signing.
Although last season was a disappointing and frustrating one for Kaliyev, it wasn’t like he hadn’t found any success with the Kings in the past. Both parties opted to have another go at this to see if things could get back on track. This season would be looked at as the final experiment of “Can Kaliyev work in Los Angeles?”
Kaliyev seemed to be happy to be back in the City of Angels and described this new opportunity as a fresh start. This fresh start meant he would be in the same boat as all the other players fighting for a spot and that’s exactly how head coach Jim Hiller was thinking, going into this situation.
“He’s a King again, we’ll move what happened in the past from our perspective. He’s had a summer to kind of flush that out too, and now he just goes back to the same standard as every other player,” Hiller said. “It’s a level of consistency for him, a level of detail for him, […] he starts with the clean slate but he doesn’t start up here, he’s like these other guys who are tryna see, where do I fit.”
It’s safe to say that a successful training camp and preseason would have been a crucial part in the revival of Kaliyev as a King but unfortunately, this downhill road that he has been on lately continues to get steeper.
During the scrimmage on Day 2 of training camp, Kaliyev suffered an injury after he took a hit from defenseman Kyle Burroughs. It wasn’t until a couple of days ago that it was reported that Kaliyev was “out indefinitely” with a broken clavicle.
While this isn’t supposed to be a season-ending injury and most definitely not the end of Kaliyev in Los Angeles, it just makes his situation and the opportunity for him to prove himself as a valuable piece to this Kings team a whole lot harder. It’s a super tough and unlucky position for Kaliyev to be in now, with his chances of making the most out of his fresh start essentially out of the window.
Kings Ready to Move on From 1-3-1
The biggest news to come out of training camp so far has been the decision for the Kings to change it up this season and move on from the 1-3-1. That system has been a part of the Kings’ identity for a while and even though there has been displeasure with it from multiple individuals, the fact of the matter is that it worked for the Kings. LA has made the playoffs for the last three seasons and a lot of that can be attributed to their defensive, neutral zone trap style of play.
The 1-3-1 is great for that but as soon as the puck is turned over it becomes harder to generate offense off the rush, and with the amount of speed the Kings have up and down their lineup this season, using a 1-3-1 would limit the opportunity to capitalize on the speed they possess.
“We think we can get our forwards skating a little bit more by adjusting to a 1-2-2 and that’s in the neutral zone but it also may lead to how you break the puck out […] so we think that really is going to maximize our forwards’ ability to skate and we think that’s probably one of the greatest strengths of our team,” said Hiller.
Hiller believes adjusting to the 1-2-2 is the best option considering the makeup of his team, and a handful of Kings seem to be on board with leaving the 1-3-1 in the past.
“I think with playing a 1-2-2 once we turn the puck over in our favor I think there’s gonna be some times where we get good rush opportunities, and that’s where I feel like my game is really good, so that’s something that I’m excited about,” forward Adrian Kempe said. “It’s going to be a better way to equate offense for us, especially in the neutral zone.”
“It’s a good change I think, let’s see how it goes. I mean we still know how to do 1-3-1 so I don’t know if it’s gone,” said forward Kevin Fiala.
“A 1-2-2 is a system that we’ve all played in our life, so yea it’s an adjustment, and yea it’s something different and something to get used to, but we all have it in the back of our minds, it shouldn’t take us very long to get used to it,” defenseman Drew Doughty said. “I’m looking forward to the adjustment.”
Captain Anze Kopitar also had some thoughts on the matter breaking the news by blatantly saying that they weren’t going to play the 1-3-1 this season.
The Kings are looking to take a step forward this season and this adjustment is only one part of the plan on their path to do so.
What Is “Getting Uncomfortable”?
This is the Kings’ first training camp with Hiller behind the bench and with new coaches come new ideas, processes, and mindsets that players need some getting used to. One of these mindsets is in the form of a phrase that both Hiller and general manager Rob Blake have used a lot during the summer, which is “getting uncomfortable”. What does “getting uncomfortable” mean exactly for the Kings?
“Getting uncomfortable is obviously getting out of your comfort zone sometimes to do stuff that you don’t do necessarily but helps the team win,” Kopitar said. “It’s one of those things that obviously come to each and every individual to chip in and pull their own weight and make sure that we’re all pulling in the same direction.”
“I think it’s doing some things you don’t necessarily want to do every day. We talk about giving a little bit of yourself for the better of the team,” defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “We have a good tight group where I feel like we can have those hard conversations and have guys take it in stride and don’t take it to heart and know that we are just trying to better off the group.
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“To just have maybe a second personality on the ice you know, get more mean and play together a little harder as well,” forward Phillip Danault said. “It’s gotta hurt to win some games and you gotta do it every night.”
Winning in the NHL isnt comfortable and it takes a full squad that understands that in order to be successful.
An Increase in Physicality Has Been Very Noticeable
I have talked about this before, but day in and day out one thing continues to be a big part of this new identity. A shift towards a more physical brand of hockey is clearly something that is going to stick with this team throughout this season. From the additions Blake made in the offseason to the aggressiveness shown on the ice during training camp, the Kings are not going to be a team that gets pushed around this season but instead be a team that is going to do the pushing around.
Physicality. It’s been the main word throughout training camp so far and we are seeing that here tonight. #GoKingsGo
— Raz Devraj (@razdevraj) September 24, 2024
“I just think as a team we need to be a little bit more assertive, a little more aggressive, and I think when you add some of the people like we did and you got some reinforcements I think that helps everybody look around and just say ok […] I think it’s just a general mindset,” said Hiller.
It’s the three new players who have brought in that sense of physicality right away, and they couldn’t be more excited about how influential their style of play has been on the rest of the group.
“It’s great […] you know my first couple years when you thought about the LA Kings it was tough to play against, it’s gonna be a long night, and we’re tryna bring that back,” said defenseman Joel Edmundson.
“There’s been a lot of compete out there and I think that’s kinda the message that was relayed,” forward Warren Foegele said. “Sometimes it’s getting dirty or trying to draw a penalty […] everyone being competitive now will lead to good things come game one.”
“I think it just speaks to the character of the group so far, everyone’s wanting to push each other to get better […] everyone just needs to care and care a little bit more and I think everyone’s been showing that so far and it’s just going to continue to develop,” said forward Tanner Jeannot.
There hasn’t been a single player that hasn’t noticed this new level of physicality, aggressiveness, energy, and emotion surrounding this Kings team. With physicality comes passion and heart, and those are two attributes that will go a long way in this league.
This is a different team from the roster to the internal changes and the mindset, and it just might be exactly what the Kings need to have a successful season and reach the postseason for the fourth straight year.
