© Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Kings made a series of moves Wednesday afternoon to finalize their roster for opening night. Ten players were placed on waivers for the assignment to be moved to the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
The players placed on waivers included a mix of different positions, including forwards, defencemen, and goaltenders.
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Some of the forwards include Akil Thomas, Andre Lee, Taylor Ward, Logan Brown, etc. While the defensemen include Joe Hicketts and Samuel Bolduc, the goaltender is Pheonix Copley.
The big name that comes to mind is young prospect Liam Greentree, whom we all expected to be loaned after the final preseason games wrapped up, as LA gears up for opening night.
Greentree will return to the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League for another season, where he will look to light up the league again and continue his growth, as he will look to get called up soon after the season is over.
The move comes as the Kings work towards reducing their roster ahead of their season opener on October 7 against the Colorado Avalanche at home in Crypto.com Arena.
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Roster Comes into Focus
With these moves happening across the Kings’ different positions, we now know what the final depth chart will look like.
The forward group will remain deep, featuring Anze Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, Quinton Byfield, Adrian Kempe, Alex Laferriere, Corey Perry, and others.
The biggest question will surround the Kings’ goalie depth, as they now have to choose who will back up Darcy Kuemper as the primary goalie if he gets injured or fatigued.
Is Carter George ready to be the backup, who had a very impressive game in the preseason and looked stable, or will LA opt for the veteran option and go with Anton Forsberg?
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Many questions will surround the Kings if they made the right decisions on who to include on the final roster, but only time will tell, as opening night is less than a week away, and everything will come into fruition.
What the Greentree Move Means
As for Greentree, the move to loan him back to the Spitfires signals that they view him as an essential piece for this franchise, but they will not rush his development. If everything stays on course, Kings fans can expect him to make a serious roster spot as early as next season.