Kings place three players on waivers + Ward to ONT, with opening-night roster due tomorrow

A quick note here on this Sunday morning regarding the finalization of the Kings NHL roster.

The Kings have placed the following three players on waivers, for the purpose of being assigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign –

Pheonix Copley
Samuel Fagemo
Jack Studnicka

Regarding that trio of players, they will be on waivers for the next 24 hours, until 11 AM Pacific time on Monday. At that point, they would either be claimed by another NHL team or they would be assigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Final NHL rosters are due to be submitted to the NHL on Monday at 2 PM Pacific and today was the final day players could be placed on waivers in advance of that roster submission. So after the waivers period comes to a close, we should find out where the Kings ultimately will land.

Additionally, forward Taylor Ward has cleared waivers and has been assigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

That gives us some closure on the final battles here in training camp.

Copley is the easiest to detail. The Kings had three goaltenders for the Quebec City portion of their preseason and needed to get down to two. The tandem to begin the season in the NHL was set, with Darcy Kuepmer and David Rittich. Copley will likely head to AHL-Ontario where he will look to make his return to competitive action for the first time since December 2023, when he suffered an ACL injury. Wishing him all the best as he continues to progress. Copley was a full participant every day in practice and would assume he will feature in a game early in the season in Ontario, assuming he clears waivers.

For Fagemo and Studnicka, it’s the harsh reality of a roster limit.

Entering training camp, I think Fagemo was probably on the right side of the bubble, while Studnicka was likely on the outside looking in. Both players were among the final players on the NHL roster, as the Kings traveled with 15 forwards to Quebec City, including those two players. The emergence during training camp of forward Andre Lee, who appears set to make the roster for opening night, left the Kings with a decision to make based off of alignment – 13F, 8D or 14F, 7D.

From the beginning of camp, I’ve felt that a 13F / 8D approach was the direction we were headed in. The injury to Drew Doughty could have changed that, and I think consideration was given, but ultimately the Kings appear set to begin the season with that original approach, only with Caleb Jones on the roster in Doughty’s absence.

With the decision made to ultimately start with 13 forwards, and Lee’s emergence to make the club, Fagemo and Studnicka became the odd players out.

It’s probably toughest for Fagemo, who buried 43 goals from 50 AHL games last season. He appeared to have an inside track on a roster spot, with the potential to work his way into the Top 12. He wasn’t able to do that during training camp and the emergence of a player like Lee, who offers a very different skillset, ultimately made Fagemo the odd-player out of the mix. It’s tough for him. His preseason statline ultimately ends with 10 shots on goal and 15 shot attempts from three games played, though no goals. The AHL production was out of this world last season. If he is not claimed, Fagemo would be the go-to offensive option with the Reign and could be the first winger called up as needed, either due to injury or performance.

For Studnicka, I thought he had a solid camp, impressing with his skating ability and a willingness to play a game suited for the fourth line. He’s a natural center but is comfortable on the wing, which helped his case. He was likely projected originally for a top-six role with the Ontario Reign to start the season but he seemed to merit a longer look with the big club. He has experience playing in the roles that would likely be expected of a potential recall down the road. I’d imagine he’s high on that list if and when the time comes and his AHL track record suggests he should really help the Reign, assuming he clears waivers.

With all three players requiring waivers, we now wait and see.

Last season, Fagemo was claimed by the Nashville Predators during training camp, so there could be interest around the league again. Fagemo cleared in full in November and was ultimately re-claimed by the Kings and assigned to Ontario. Throughout the season, the Kings also saw defenseman Tobias Bjornfot claimed by Vegas and forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan claimed by the Predators. There’s also the possibility that the Kings claim another player off waivers, with that list of individuals shown below –

With the 23 players left on the roster, the Kings would be slightly over the salary cap, but could move either defenseman Drew Doughty or forward Arthur Kaliyev to LTIR to accommodate. That’s a conversation for slightly down the road, once we see what the configuration of the roster ultimately shakes out to be.