Decision time on Clifford

This is a huge week for Kings rookie Kyle Clifford. By Thursday, he will either be playing against the Dallas Stars, with the Kings have committed to him as an NHL player for the rest of the season, or he will be on his way back to Barrie, Ontario, to resume his junior-hockey career. Before Clifford plays his 10th game, the Kings must decide to return him to junior or keep him and use a year of his entry level contract. Clifford has played nine games.

Dean Lombardi has been in Toronto for the latest general managers’ meeting, and coach Terry Murray said today that he’s planning on having Clifford in the lineup Thursday. That could change, of course, and Clifford said he hasn’t received any official word from the Kings, either way.

“That’s the way it is right now,” Murray said of having Clifford in the lineup. “and I’ll think about what I’m going to do in the middle of the ice, with (Brayden) Schenn and (Trevor) Lewis, unless I’m told differently or I have a different conversation. Dean is supposed to be back in town tonight, so we’ll gather tomorrow and discuss this, but that’s the look that I’m going with right now.”

Clifford has yet to record a point this season and has a minus-5 rating, but has earned solid reviews from Murray for his hard-nosed play.

CLIFFORD: “I haven’t heard anything. I’m just going out there and taking it all in while I can. If it happens that I am fortunate enough to stay here, then thank God. … I’ve tried, since day one, since I was drafted and I’ve been around the pro atmosphere, I’ve tried to take it in as much as I can. The last two months has been probably the biggest part of my development. The coaching staff here, and the players we have in this room, have helped me. The physical part of my game has always been there. Lately, I’m trying to get smarter and better defensively and making smarter decisions offensively.”

Based on various comments over the past couple weeks, Murray and Clifford seem to be in agreement that Clifford could continue to develop well at the NHL level, even in a part-time role, compared to playing bigger minutes and in a bigger role at the junior level.

CLIFFORD: “Absolutely. Being around here… I feel like if I go back to junior, I’ve taken everything I can possibly learn. The last two months that I’ve been here, there are things that I never would have even imagined about the game. There’s still plenty of room for improvement. Until my hockey career is done, I’m still going to try to improve every day.”