Practice Report 1/13 – Balancing Practice Days & Rest Days, Spence’s Status & Rink Tours/Game Change

Practice Day, Insiders!

All season long, the Kings have had to balance the desire to practice against the need to rest. As of late, they have typically opted for the latter, cancelling a few on-ice skates over the last couple of weeks. It’s hard to argue with the results of wins and losses, with a 4-1-0 record over their last five games, though Todd McLellan admitted a practice was likely needed after the narrow victory over San Jose.

Still, the Kings haven’t really had the luxury of having their cake and eating it too, if you will. With the NHL’s heaviest schedule to date, it’s been a whole lot of one or the other for the Kings until this point. Over the next week or so, the Kings have stretches of two and four days between games, during which they can get what they need. Yesterday was the rest day, with today the on-ice practice that spanned nearly an hour. Next week, it’ll be off days on Sunday and Monday before what will likely be heavier practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. An important balance to find, as McLellan detailed.

“I think it’s important, because I believe that without practice, you will get sick and you’ve got to fine tune it a little bit,” McLellan said after today’s skate. “Today was almost an hour practice, that’s a long time for us and I can’t remember the last time we were able to do that. Looking forward, this coming week we’ll have a couple of those but then we’re going to get back on the road and the travel, the amount of games, the back-to-backs take away that luxury sometimes. Today and Tuesday, Wednesday of next week, those will be really important for us.”

McLellan has discussed the schedule at length this season, though it typically surmounts to you play the games in front of you and go from there. That’s all you can do from a team perspective.

When you look back though, you’ll see that the team’s only three-day break so far this season was the league-mandated Holiday Break back in late-December. The Kings are the only team in the league that has not yet had a stretch of three-or-more days in between games this season, outside of the holiday break. The only two games played on three-or-more days rest were Opening Night and December 27. That all changes after tomorrow’s tilt with the Devils.

“We’ve got a four-day break for the first time this season, we haven’t seen one of those, I think we’ve had one, three-day break and even two-day breaks have been hard to come by,” McLellan said. “Granted, we haven’t had to play a lot of back-to-backs, we only have nine this year, we had 16 last year, but it takes away those extended days off or breaks. We’ll play against a good Jersey team and then breathe. Sunday and Monday you won’t see us, that’s the plan.”

Polling the room a bit today as well, the upcoming time is something that the players have noticed and are perhaps looking forward to.

Even for veteran players, those who have played here and those who have played with other organizations, it’s been a taxing and difficult stretch. Having times like the holiday break to regroup and for the Kings specifically, this stretch of just two games over the course of nine days is big. The focus is on New Jersey tomorrow, follow by, as McLellan indicated, the chance to breathe after.

“I think it’s been hectic, we’ve been on the road a lot, but with the Christmas and All-Star breaks, we have a four-day break coming up after this game, I think it’s huge to get a little break before we push in the second half,” forward Viktor Arvidsson said. “We can get our bodies dialed in and just go from there. Our game is right where it needs to be, we just have to push even more.”

Though they might not know every statistic around the league, games played is one that the Kings are well aware that they lead the league in.

Speaking with forward Phillip Danault today, he was well aware of that statistic, and thought about the situation from both sides. The Kings are rolling right now and he’s taken note of wanting to continue that on-ice play, not losing the bonding and cohesiveness the group has started to build. He also knows it’s been a bit since we’ve had a stretch like this, so he believes that mentally it’ll be a good thing.

“It’s been awhile, I think we’re the team in the league with the most games played, so it’s going to be good for our team, for our mental state,” he said. “We’ve been playing well though, we’ve got to keep that going tomorrow, but some more rest is clutch.”

For Arvidsson, the Kings are approaching the stretch, playoff push and when you get to that point, there’s less learning to be done and more of the focus comes to maintenance. That’s what makes days like today and Tuesday and Wednesday of next week so important. Get the practice time in when you can, address specific areas and get back to it.

“At the later stages of the season, you should know everything you need to do out there, it’s just about maintaining the body and flushing it out when you need to,” he said. “I think we’re doing a good job of that. The coaches, management, strength coaches and trainers are doing a great job of keeping us fresh and healthy for games. It’s been good so far, so we can only go out there and play.”

Spence’s Status
Expect to see defenseman Jordan Spence in action with the AHL’s Ontario Reign this evening in San Diego.

It’s been a transaction-filled season for Spence, who is currently the preferred seventh defenseman and has earned his place in the NHL. At the same time, he’s a 21-year-old prospect who the Kings want to see getting regular game action. Right now at the NHL level, the Kings have found three, solid pairings and those minutes aren’t available, but Spence is also pushing for more than just an AHL role. There lies the problem, if you want to call it that, which has seen Spence go up and down seven times already this season. Frequently, his recalls have come around longer, extended stretches including road trips or back-to-backs, when the chances of playing are higher. His assignments have come during down times, when he can sneak in an AHL game or two before returning or the Kings can bank cap space for down the road.

The Kings want to reward Spence with the NHL opportunity his play has perhaps merited, but at the same time, they want and need him to play. McLellan detailed the situation below –

“There’s two types of reward, one is being around us, which he’s done that for a long time and then there’s actually being around us and being in the lineup, which is what he desires and craves. We haven’t been able to get him that as much as we would like, we like what the six guys are doing right now and, knock on wood, they’ve been able to stay healthy. The luxury of having our American League team right next door gives us the ability to bring him in as an insurance policy, he’s always ready to go and then return them so that he can go play his game. I don’t think he’s missing much if he misses a day of practice, because he plays so much there and he is a very bright student and player. So, if he’s not skating, there is at least pregame skating and he’s around us for meetings and then he’s going to apply his craft in the American League, so the ability to go back and forth is important.”

The Kings have utilized this approach frequently over the last three seasons, really dating back to the taxi squad during the COVID-impacted 2020-21 campaign. We saw last year how quickly things can change and having a player who is ready, as McLellan said, is important. Spence is currently that player and he’ll be better for it when the time eventually comes and a spot in the every-night lineup becomes available.

Off The Ice
Hear from Todd McLellan on the importance of the team’s “We Are All Kings Rink Tour
, which is scheduled for Sunday morning. The Kings will disperse around Southern California on an off day to spend time with youth players from around the region.

“Whether it’s the arena, the hospitals, charities, to spend some time with a little guy here at the rink, that is all a part of our responsibility, as individuals, as a team, as an organization and guys here are really good it. I’m sure on their off day, nobody wants to wake up and drive across the city to a rink, but they accept it, they do it and they do a really good job of it. So, for as proud as we are about what we do on the ice most nights, that’s right up there with everything else.”

Lastly, the Kings announced a small broadcasting change, with the game on April 1 moving from KCOP-TV to Bally Sports West. Unless this is an April Fools Joke, in which case, don’t unsubscribe to KCOP-TV yet. Time will tell.

Morning skate, assuming of the optional variety, to come tomorrow before the Kings host New Jersey!

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