Kings Activate Moore & Lewis from Injured Reserve + Lee to ONT, Burroughs Non-Roster

Good morning, Insiders.

The LA Kings have announced the following roster moves.

– Forwards Trevor Moore and Trevor Lewis have been activated from injured reserve.
– Defenseman Kyle Burroughs has been designated as non-roster playing status.
– Forward Andre Lee has been assigned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

Tackling these moves in order, as the Kings prepare to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight on home ice.

Trevor Lewis / Trevor Moore
I would call this expected.

Lewis and Moore have steadily been progressing back from their respective injuries. Both players have practiced now on consecutive days as full participants, skating together on a line with forward Samuel Helenius. With the activation, I’d expect both players to play in tonight’s game versus Tampa Bay.

The role will probably be larger for Moore than Lewis upon their respective returns, and going forward, but the two could be linemates tonight. Moore is accustomed to playing in a top-nine role, while Lewis has primarily been a fourth-line player in his second stint with the Kings. Starting Moore in a reduced role, though, as he plays his first game after an upper-body injury, does make some sense. Tanner Jeannot and Alex Turcotte have both taken well to elevated roles and they’ve done a good job on their current lines. So, while working both players back in, you keep the consistency in the top nine and introduce both Trevors lower in the lineup.

At some point, I’d expect Moore to rise in the lineup, but personally, no issue with him starting a bit further down as he gets back into game situations for the first time since December 12. For Lewis, I’d envision this as his role going forward, somewhere on the fourth line and perhaps not playing every night. For tonight, though, he is set to skate in his 1,000th career NHL game. An impressive accomplishment we’ll get into more as we progress throughout the week.

Kyle Burroughs
Nothing to worry about re: Burroughs. In fact, something to celebrate!

Congratulations to Kyle and his wife Hayley, with Burroughs missing tonight’s game after the birth of his first child! A happy non-roster designation for the Burroughs family. Assuming he will return to the group this week and would be an option to play on Wednesday against Calgary.

Andre Lee
Lee is the victim to a difficult roster situation. With Lewis and Moore back, the Kings had to make a decision. The birth of baby Burroughs created one roster spot, but to activate both Moore and Lewis, the Kings had to clear up one additional spot on the roster.

First things first, you have to look at players who are waiver exempt. On the Kings, the only three players who fit that designation are Lee, forward Samuel Helenius and defenseman Brandt Clarke. Now, Clarke is obviously not getting sent down in anything but a paper transaction, so rule him out, and that lands on Helenius and Lee.

Both were initially pegged to start the season in the AHL but both players really impressed during training camp. Lee cracked the opening-night lineup, winning an open position on the wing, while Helenius was an early-season recall. Since he made his NHL debut on November 9 against Columbus, Helenius has been in the lineup for every game the Kings have played.

At this time, my sense is that having the center in Helenius is more of what the Kings need right now. Jim Hiller has also pointed to the intensity that Helenius brings with his 6-6 frame, night in and night out. Lee has similar attributes, but Hiller believes that right now, Helenius is using them a bit more consistently, raising his level in the process. He implored Lee recently to do the same and I think he did, burying his first career NHL goal on Wednesday against New Jersey. Helenius has perhaps brought a bit more consistency, though, and remains with the big club for now. I think we will see Andre Lee back with the Kings some time down the stretch. He is still highly thought of. But, for now, he will return to the Ontario Reign and could feature tonight against Coachella Valley. Lee has played in four AHL games this season, collecting two points (1-1-2).

Hiller spoke candidly today about the difficulty in removing any deserving player from the lineup, or bumping a player who is deserving lower in the lineup. It’s a part of the job though and Hiller hopes to strike the right chord when he has those conversations.

“It’s always difficult that to strike the right balance in that and yeah, it’s not always fair,” Hiller said. “That’s the first thing, right? The league is hard, guys have earned their stripes, but you also appreciate the contributions that people have made so somehow, you’ve got to try to balance it. You’ve got to try to do it as fairly as possible, with enough empathy as possible, that’s the word you are looking for, for the players that are going to lose some icetime.”

Will have more on what these moves might mean in today’s game preview, which I’ll have out in a few hours. Forwards Samuel Helenius and Akil Thomas were on the ice this morning at Toyota Sports Performance Center. Does that indicate an 11/7 with Lewis, Moore and defenseman Andreas Englund in the lineup or just having one of the forwards on the ice for a morning skate before playing, after Helenius didn’t play a ton against the Devils and Thomas has been out of the lineup over the last two games. Time will tell there. Expecting Game 1,000 for Lewis, which is exciting in its own right. Preview coming in short order with that discussion.