Blue-line debut

The Kings are still relatively young on defense, and the greenest of the bunch will be rookie Jake Muzzin, who will jump from the junior level and make his NHL debut tomorrow night. Muzzin, an undrafted free agent signed by the Kings last season, beat out Thomas Hickey for the final available spot on defense and will be paired with Davis Drewiske, at least until Matt Greene returns from his shoulder injury. Terry Murray said he is pleased with Muzzin’s development so far.

MURRAY: “We really like what he has done here, throughout the training camp. It’s a great signing, as a free-agent guy, for him to come in and play. In Manchester last year, I saw three or four games down there at the end of the season and he played very well. He made a huge commitment over the summer and got much stronger, physically. It has all paid off for him. It’s coming together, and with Greene out of the lineup, he’s getting a great opportunity to go out and show us what he can do, and he has played well in the games. We like his defensive play and we like what he can do on the power play.”

As mentioned yesterday, Muzzin has also been playing the point on the Kings’ second power-play unit. It’s possible that, in some situations, the Kings might elect to keep point men Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson on the ice for an entire power play, but Murray said that he would feel confident putting Muzzin on the ice in power-play situations.

MURRAY: “He sees the ice and he makes plays. He has very good composure at the offensive blue line and he can shoot the puck really well. So this is a great thing for our organization, to have young guys like this coming in. Good size, and he can play with an edge to his game. He’s got great upside and he’s going to have a nice future.”