Final roster taking shape

All players were on the ice for practice this morning, but Terry Murray indicated that at least one player would be told today about being cut. Not coincidentally, defenseman Andrew Campbell was on TSN’s list of players who were placed on waivers today. If Campbell clears tomorrow morning, he would be eligible to be assigned to Manchester.

After practice today, Murray said that only the 24-man opening-night roster would go to Europe. As Murray explained it, the Kings had the option to bring extra players to Europe, to practice and play in Tuesday’s exhibition game. But, as Murray explained it, after a player is assigned to the AHL, he must be “in residence” — physically with the team — before he could be recalled. Meaning, if the Kings set their roster and a flu bug made four guys unable to play, the Kings wouldn’t be able to make a roster move in Europe unless the player had already been in Manchester. So, only roster players will head overseas.

MURRAY: “We clearly have some very hard decisions to make at the end of this one. Then moving on to Las Vegas, against Colorado, in that final game, we’ll have to get our heads together and see where we’re at.”

As noted earlier, Drew Doughty will not play in tomorrow’s game in Las Vegas, but Murray said Doughty might play in Tuesday’s exhibition game against the Hamburg Freezers. Murray might also have tipped his hand in terms of the roster, when he noted that he might play “eight defensemen” in Hamburg. That would mean, of course, that he intends to take eight defensemen — meaning only one extra forward — to Europe.

MURRAY: “I’ll think about (playing Doughty in) that first exhibition game over in Europe, on that Tuesday. I know they play eight defensemen in Europe. They play four lines, eight defensemen. Why couldn’t I do that, in this exhibition game? It’s Olympic-sized ice, it’s against the local team. Maybe that’s something we can do, and maybe get a few minutes in there for him.”