Angeles Analysis – Next Person Up Mindset

I found this stat to be interesting.

Updated "healthy" game totals through 23 March

39 NYR
32 DAL
20 CGY
16 BUF
15 NYI
14 TBL
11 MIN
9 ARI BOS
7 PIT
4 NSH
2 LAK WPG
1 STL
0 18 teams

— NHLInjuryViz (@NHLInjuryViz) March 25, 2023

NHL Viz is an informative follow on Twitter, as it pertains to man games lost. The stat shown here relates to the number of games played, fully healthy, meaning everyone on the roster is available. The Kings have had that situation occur twice this season. If my calculations are correct, those games were the regular-season opener against Vegas and game three on the road in Minnesota. From that point on, starting with the following game in Detroit, the Kings have had at least one player injured or suspended in each game from that point on. With where the Kings stand right now, with seven games remaining in the regular season, it’s not looking as if that number is increasing any time soon.

Between each of the last three games, the Kings have lost a player to injury. After getting Blake Lizotte back from suspension, the Kings lost Gabe Vilardi to an upper-body injury, which caused him to remain in California at least to start the trip. In between the game in Calgary and last night’s game in Edmonton, it was Kevin Fiala who departed the lineup with a lower-body injury, with a day-to-day designation. Less than two minutes into the game, defenseman Mikey Anderson took a hit from behind into the boards and was lost for the evening, with no clear update on his status following the game.

The Kings are now in Seattle for yet another divisional showdown and it’s hard to imagine all three players being ready to roll against the Kraken. Without a practice day today, we won’t know exactly where those three individuals stand, but for now, assume it won’t be a full party in the Emerald City. At this time of the year, few teams are flawlessly healthy and Seattle is no exception, with forward Andre Burakovsky on injured reserve out of action for tomorrow’s hosts. For the Kings though, it’s a lot more about what they’re doing and who they have available and less about the opposition.

Todd McLellan put it pretty bluntly after the game – “next guy up, let’s go.”

The Kings have injuries today, they’ll have injuries tomorrow and they’ll have injuries down the line. He believes that the team should at least be prepared for that next-person up concept, with the adversity the group had to battle through last season. Per NHL Viz, the Kings were one of just eight teams since tracking began in 2000 to make the postseason with 400+ man games lost. There’s no handicapping for injuries and the two points on the line tomorrow are just as important to be fought for, with or without a full lineup available.

Looking at last night’s game in Edmonton, the Kings used a committee of Carl Grundstrom and Arthur Kaliyev to fill the open position in the top nine. Trevor Moore bumped back up with Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson, filling Fiala’s spot, with the Grundstrom / Kaliyev duo each getting their share of minutes on the third unit. Grundstrom had the bulk of the ice time there, logging more than eight minutes on a line that was on the right side of the distribution of chances. Kaliyev had nine shifts in the third period, compared to eight in the previous two, with the Kings in search of a goal. There are certainly minutes to be had and the Kings have to be hopeful that someone will rise up and claim them.

Then there’s the backend. Mikey Anderson played a total of 32 seconds before his evening was ended by Connor McDavid’s hit from behind into the boards. The Kings have capable minute-eaters, led naturally by Drew Doughty, whose career average TOI (26:15) is the highest in NHL history since the league began tracking the statistic in the 1997-98 season. While Vladislav Gavrikov’s minutes have dropped a bit on a deeper Kings team, he averaged more than 22 minutes a night in Columbus. Matt Roy and Sean Durzi each saw their minutes rise last season as players around them were injured and both have the ability to see their roles increase. Alex Edler and Sean Walker have both played up in the lineup at times this season, with some of Edler’s best work coming alongside Roy, while Walker possesses both positional and situational versatility.

In the event Anderson is not able to go tomorrow, it’s easy to assume that Walker slides into the lineup, though Tobias Bjornfot is now an option as well after his emergncy recall from AHL-Ontario earlier this morning. What’s not so easy to assume is how the pairs would shake out if Doughty’s regular partner is not able to play. Doughty has played nearly 1300 minutes with Anderson at 5-on-5 this season and less than 150 without. His most common partner, outside of Anderson, has been Durzi, a duo typically used late in games when the Kings are trailing and in search of offense. Outside of short stretches with Olli Maatta and Tobias Bjornfot, the Anderson/Doughty pairing has been a staple for the better part of three seasons at 5-on-5. Too soon to speculate on Anderson’s status, but naturally it would be a big hole to fill and a big opportunity for someone else down the line to embrace what last season’s Kings team reveled in – next player up.

The Kings have lost three straight games in regulation just once this season – a stretch of games in mid-January against Dallas, New Jersey and Nashville – and will look to avoid that tomorrow, as they search for their first victory of the season versus the Kraken. Best way to accomplish that is a next person up mindset, throughout the group. More to follow tomorrow, Insiders, as these things fall into place.