Angeles Analysis – Happy Trails, Preseason + Anderson-Dolan on Waivers, Madden to ONT

That’s preseason in the books, Insiders.

The Kings posted a record of 6-2-1 in their nine exhibition games, which is a solid, yet ultimately meaningless mark. The worst of it, if you will, was one of the losses that make up the 2 and it came yesterday afternoon. The Kings were not at their best defensively throughout the course of the game and it showed up in a 7-4 scoreline. Todd McLellan highlighted two areas – defensive sort outs off the rush and net play – as areas of concern. Certainly something they’ll touch on over the next two practice days as they get ready to take on Colorado on Wednesday evening.

This was, through it all, a very strange training camp.

The Kings began in a different hemisphere, they saw their veterans take four consecutive games off due to recovery from said trip to another hemisphere, they got back up and running, and turned in what turned out to be a lot of good in their final three performances, though a mixed bag overall. For starters, all three starts were excellent.

The metrics are regrettably unavailable for the game in Utah, but the Kings controlled 73 percent of shot attempts in first periods at Crypto.com Arena, winning those two periods by a 6-2 margin. They also controlled more than 75 percent of both scoring chances and high-danger chances. The Salt Lake City game saw the Kings tied 1-1 but ahead in shots on goal, though other metrics are not available due to the building.

There was, however, a noticeable drop off from the way the Kings started games to the rhythm shown in second periods. On Saturday, it was penalty trouble that ultimately did the Kings in, which threw off the flow of the group, amplified by a lineup that featured 11 forwards. That’s not the preferred look for Todd McLellan this season, but circumstance may force the Kings in that direction for the first two games, while Arthur Kaliyev is suspended. It isn’t necessarily ideal, but it’s a concession made when you’re as tight to the cap as the Kings are here at the start of the season. There’s enough talent to make it work, as the Kings get more familiar with that alignment.

As we look ahead, it’s funny how the vibes change a bit after one result when no points in the standings were actually dropped. The Kings have some areas to improve in, no doubt about it, but it’s also not all doom and gloom for a squad that got through the preseason without injury and showed promise in a lot of areas. We’re seeing Pierre-Luc Dubois and Kevin Fiala start to come together and find chemistry. We’re seeing a power-play unit rekindle their flow from a season. We’re seeing the nice line look at lot like the nice line, with Trevor Moore looking a lot like Trevor Moore. The big names got their work in and all appear to be ready to go. On a lot of fronts, there’s good news to report.

There is also a penalty-killing unit that is, admittedly, a work in progress. New concepts and new systems are being worked in and it will take some time to come together. There are depth questions related to the makeup of the third defensive pairing and there’s an issue of a team that would prefer not to play with 11 forwards, but may be forced to do so at times throughout the season. There aren’t a ton of individuals who play high in the lineup who are concerning at this stage, but there are team-wide areas that need some work.

It’s not perfect right now, but the base feels pretty solid heading into opening night. From that perspective, it’s exciting coming out of the exhibition season. Minus Kaliyev’s suspension, the Kings dodged injury among their main group and that’s the most important thing at the end of the day.

Looking ahead, we’ve got practices tomorrow and Tuesday before Game 1 versus the Avalanche on Wednesday Night at Crypto.com Arena. Always those jitters for the first game and the Kings will begin at home for the fourth consecutive season. Against Colorado, the Kings will not be able to get away with some of the things we’ve seen over the last two preseason games and they know that. Expect some pointed practices over the next two days and a group that will be dialed in and ready to go for the first game with points on the line.

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Additionally, the Kings have made two roster moves this morning, which brings us one step closer to where the team could begin the season.

The Kings have placed forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan on waivers this morning, for the purpose of assigning him to AHL-Ontario. We’ll find out his ultimate fate come tomorrow morning, with the opening-night roster due for submission to the NHL tomorrow. Forward Tyler Madden, who was placed on waivers yesterday, cleared this morning and was assigned to the Ontario Reign.

Anderson-Dolan was an effective 13th forward last season but this season’s roster doesn’t have room for a 13th forward at this time. He proved that he was NHL-caliber in his role, so we’ll see how the waiver process goes over the next 24 hours. He’s not a player the Kings would like to lose and teams around the league will have plenty of options on the waiver wire, should there be interest in a forward. We will see where things go over the next 24 hours.

The Kings still have one more move to make to be salary-cap compliant but they also don’t play until Wednesday. Preaching patience – the situation today might not be the situation tomorrow. Expect change to come and it could come in ways you might not expect. It could come exactly as you expect it. This is a bad year to make assumptions. The cap situation is fluid and, again, the Kings don’t play until Wednesday, so the roster doesn’t need to be set today.

The Kings currently have a roster of 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders. Included in those 13 forwards are Andre Lee (injured, week-to-week) and Arthur Kaliyev (suspended). Expect to see Lee on season-opening injured reserve, while Kaliyev will count against the cap while he is on the roster, serving his two-game suspension. He will miss the games on Wednesday against Colorado and Saturday against Carolina.