The Los Angeles Kings’ offseason centered on building a strong, veteran-filled, trustworthy fourth line; a fourth line that could be thrown out at crucial points in games, a fourth line that had the experience of being in those situations. Acquiring both Joel Armia and Corey Perry, who both were believed to slot in alongside Alex Turcotte, gave the Kings exactly that — a fourth line that not only was veteran/experience heavy, but also versatile and able to have a bit of an offensive flair to it with a young, creative mind in Turcotte.
As we all know, things rarely work out as you plan for them in the NHL, and with injuries especially. The injury bug has come out and terrorized the last two preseasons, disrupting teams’ opening-night roster plans. Last season saw prominent players like Patrik Laine and, of course, Drew Doughty miss extended time, and that trend continued this season. The biggest news came out of Sunrise, Florida, where it was reported that Alexander Barkov, the captain and heart and soul of the Florida Panthers, would miss the entire season with injuries to both his ACL and MCL.
Perry is among the players who have been injured this preseason, suffering the injury during training skate at the Kings’ practice facility in El Segundo, where he fell awkwardly into the boards. The incident resulted in Perry needing surgery, which ended up being a successful one. The time period on Perry’s recovery is supposedly going to take around six weeks, which means there is an open roster spot that needs to be filled before the Kings’ season opener at home against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 7.
A roster — and especially a forward group — that looked to be pretty much set before training camp even started is now in need of one more player. It’s made training camp and preseason all the more interesting as we see potential candidates battle it out and make their cases as to why they deserve that last spot. It’s brought out an extra drive in some players because they know that there is a real shot they could make the team with Perry sidelined.
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There have been a few players who have stood out throughout the Kings’ preseason so far, and for different reasons, but no one has made as big or complete an impression as Jeff Malott has. The 29-year-old played in one NHL game for the Winnipeg Jets back during the 2021-22 season and has been fighting his way back toward another opportunity ever since.
Jeff Malott, Los Angeles Kings (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)
“All you ask for is an opportunity,” Malott said. “You go out whether it’s back-to-backs, or three in fours, you just do your best to make an impact, do your best to try and hit all the things they are looking for, and have a good showing during training camp.”
Now Malott isn’t necessarily that big of a surprise, considering he did play the last 12 games the Kings had last season, as well as their six playoff games against the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1, but it’s still intriguing and impressive to watch a player who most likely wasn’t going to be in the conversation for a roster spot if Perry was healthy, take control of the opportunity and run away with it like this.
Malott has a team-leading five points in four games played throughout the preseason, which has just been a bonus to what else he brings to the lineup. Already known as a heavy hitter and a resilient forechecker who’s not afraid to get deep into the corners and along the boards to win puck battles, the offensive touch Malott’s put on display over the course of these four games has skyrocketed his chances of making this roster. It’s the work ethic that stands out the most. The effort he shows to back check, be in the right positions defensively, lay the body, block shots, and battle in the dirty areas makes the perfect player for a fourth-line role. That offensive touch will not only elevate the fourth line but also be elevated by a playmaker like Turcotte.
“He’s played well, obviously we liked him at the end of last year, we played him a fair amount,” Kings head coach Jim Hiller said. “He’s really a fit guy, but he put on about seven or eight pounds of muscle. I’m noticing some of that. He’s a strong guy to begin with. I think he’s a little stronger out there, he’s got a lot of confidence, and he’s playing really well. He looks like an NHL player.”
Who Are Some Other Candidates?
While the most intriguing Kings prospect is Liam Greentree (the first-round pick in 2024), and someone who could be looked at as a potential candidate to play up to nine games, would he really be the best player to slot in on the fourth line? Probably not, which is why he was sent back to the Ontario Hockey League this morning. Even Akil Thomas, who has stood out multiple times this preseason, could be an option, but we saw how that worked out when he played fourth-line minutes last season. That’s not to say he hasn’t improved and couldn’t come out this season and be a different player — there is something about his confidence and poise throughout the preseason so far that hasn’t really been noticeable before — but is he a better option than Malott for the role that’s available?
Then there are a few guys that the Kings could consider who have had more NHL experience and have had experience in a fourth-line role. Samuel Helenius played 50 games for the Kings last season, as well as six playoff games. Andre Lee had a consistent stint early on, playing 19 games, and new addition Cole Guttman has played 41 NHL games, bouncing back and forth between the Chicago Blackhawks and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
What makes the situation better for the Kings is the flexibility and richness in players who could fill that role. If, for whatever reason, Malott’s preseason play doesn’t translate to the regular season, one of Thomas, Lee, Helenius, or Guttman could fill in till Perry is ready to go, depending on whether Thomas, Lee, and Guttman clear waivers. Maybe we see these players on some sort of rotation, or maybe one of them, including Malott, makes such a big impression when games start to matter that it forces other players to remain at their best and fight to keep themselves in the lineup. Overall, this situation has just made it more internally competitive for the Kings, which is never a bad thing.
All these players could be feasible options who would be able to contribute in a fourth-line role, but at this point, there’s nothing more that Malott can possibly due to prove that he deserves that open spot, and it’s evident with the roster moves made earlier today. You can pretty much guarantee you will find Malott’s name on the opening-night roster.
