Kings Activate Viktor Arvidsson from LTIR + Lizotte & Grundstrom placed on LTIR

Rise and shine, Insiders!

We’ve got some news.

The LA Kings have activated forward Viktor Arvidsson from long-term injured reserve, in advance of tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils. The Kings have also placed forwards Carl Grundstrom (lower-body injury) and Blake Lizotte (lower-body injury) on long-term injured reserve.

Starting with Arvidsson, exciting news for the Kings.

“He brings great energy, and to me, through this whole tough stretch, he’s the exact player we were probably missing,” Head Coach Jim Hiller said. “He’s a scorer, he doesn’t take no for an answer, he just goes. He’s a player that goes to the net. So, we’ll welcome him back.”

This is a player who had 59 points from 77 games last season, including 26 goals. He was third on the team in goals and fourth on the team in points. He’s a dynamic offensive player, who contributes offensively both at even strength and on the power play, though he doesn’t chase offense at the expense of defensive play. It’s an exciting player to get back into the lineup, even if he might take a little bit of time to get back up to speed. He did have back surgery in October, after all. Still, a player the Kings have missed and a player who the Kings are excited to get back in the lineup.

With Arvidsson’s activation, the Kings now have 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders at their disposal for tonight’s game in New Jersey. As noted yesterday, Arvidsson skated on a line with Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore during yesterday’s practice in Newark. While we won’t know for sure until warmups, I’d expect him to line up there tonight, now that he’s been activated.

Regarding Grundstrom, he left Tuesday’s game in Buffalo early in the second period with an injury and did not return. Grundstrom left the team and returned to Los Angeles for further examination and evaluation, ruling him out for the remainder of the roadtrip. Now, he’ll be out for at least the team’s next 10 games with his lower-body injury.

Regarding Lizotte, this is not an unexpected move. General Manager Rob Blake alluded to the possibility of Lizotte being placed on LTIR during his media availability 10 days ago. The move was simply not necessary until Arvidsson was ready to return. With Lizotte’s injury, this move can be made retroactively, which doesn’t tie him into the same 10-game constraints that Grundstrom has, meaning he could be activated sooner. Lizotte is skating on his own in El Segundo, with Jim Hiller indicating that he’s got a “return to play status”, which he is working towards. No immediate timeline for his return, certainly not until the Kings get back home, but there are encouraging signs.

With the transactions involving Grundstrom and Lizotte, the Kings have ample space to activate Arvidsson. Naturally, when those players return to health, the situation will need to be re-evaluated, but for now, no concerns on that front.

Game Preview to follow in a few hours, as the Kings prepare to take on the Devils in Newark!