Anderson-Dolan, Spence Assigned To ONT + Roster Context & Updates

A couple of updates for today, Insiders!

The Kings assigned forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan to the Ontario Reign earlier today and the forward is expected to play for the Reign tonight against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Additionally, the Kings have assigned defenseman Jordan Spence to the Reign, though Spence is not expected to play for Ontario.

Instant Analysis
The rationale here is pretty simple.

Anderson-Dolan has played in one NHL game this season, back on Saturday, October 14 against Carolina. Since then, he’s remained with the NHL roster but has been scratched as the team’s 13th forward each night, as Arthur Kaliyev returned from his suspension to re-claim his spot in the lineup. The logistics here make it very easy to give Anderson-Dolan a game at the AHL level, with the Kings off today and the Reign just a short drive away in Coachella Valley. Anderson-Dolan met up with the team this morning and took part in Ontario’s morning skate today. Assume he’ll factor into some big minutes tonight for the Reign and then the team can re-assess the situation tomorrow.

The Kings have a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday before they’ll hit the road for three games on the East Coast next week. Feels pretty safe to assume they’ll want extra players for that trip and with the team operating in LTIR, at least on game days, salary-cap space is not an issue. Anderson-Dolan is a hard-working player with a terrific attitude, who is well liked in the room and by the coaching staff. First guy on the ice more days than not working on smaller details in his game. He’s also playing on a one-way contract and at this point in time, he does not need waivers to be assigned to Ontario to play a game. Generally speaking, a win-win scenario.

As noted above, defenseman Jordan Spence was also assigned to the AHL today, but he is not expected to play tonight in Coachella Valley. Consider this transaction a bit more like what we saw with Alex Laferriere last weekend. The Kings assigned Laferriere and Anderson-Dolan to the AHL for one day, for purposes of best managing the salary cap in the long haul of the season. Not a performance-related move, or a development-related move, but one made to manage the salary cap, made easier by the fact that the Kings and Reign are located in the same building.

Additionally, Insiders, sharing an update on forward Viktor Arvidsson.

Arvidsson underwent successful back surgery last week and remains out of the lineup on a month-to-month basis, as Rob Blake indicated previously.

The Kings are naturally expecting to be without Arvidsson for the foreseeable future as he rehabilitates and recovers from his surgery. The month-to-month designation still being the case is important and it sounds like the anticipation is he’ll be back later in the season. Certainly not expecting to hear much about him in the immediate though, and if/when that changes at any point in the season, we’ll provide the update here.

As for what’s to come, today is a scheduled team day off and the Kings will practice at Toyota Sports Performance Center tomorrow, before departing for Arizona later in the day. Back-to-back games against the Coyotes for the second time this fall, once on each side of the equator, with these the first where the points matter.

It’ll be the first trip of the season to Mullet Arena in Tempe, the first for the Kings in general since the holiday season last winter. The Coyotes were a sneaky-solid home team last season, with 21 victories on home ice, compared to a league-worst seven on the road. Expecting a stern test once again from an upstart Arizona team that gave the Kings test last night in Los Angeles.