Since Drew Doughty’s return, the Kings have been carrying nine defensemen which is a rarity. But it doesn’t appear as if that will be the case for much longer. Mayor’s Manor suggests that Los Angeles will likely place blueliner Andreas Englund on waivers on Sunday for the purpose of assigning him to AHL Ontario. Englund has been limited to just 11 games this season and hasn’t reached the ten-minute mark in playing time in a game since late October. Still, with 173 games of NHL experience and a relatively low cap charge at $1MM, there’s a chance that someone could put a claim in to add some cheap depth if Englund ultimately does hit the wire this weekend.
One thing the Kings could do in the short term is to send Brandt Clarke to Ontario at the 4 Nations break. Doing so would allow them to bank some extra cap room with the trade deadline fast approaching. However, according to that same report from Mayor’s Manor, that won’t be the case and Clarke will remain up with Los Angeles through the break.
More from the Pacific Division:
- In his latest piece for The Athletic (subscription link), Pierre LeBrun interviewed Oilers GM Stan Bowman who indicated some of the items on his checklist for the upcoming trade deadline. After adding John Klingberg in free agency, Bowman suggested that if Edmonton looks to add another blueliner, it’s likely to be a left-shot player. Beyond their three lefties on the NHL roster, they only have one left-shot rearguard in the minors in Cam Dineen so some extra depth there would make sense. Meanwhile, what they might look to do up front will be dictated by their plans for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. If they want to deploy him on the wing, Bowman figures he’d look to add a depth center. But if the veteran stays down the middle, then adding winger depth would become the focus.
- Sharks winger Klim Kostin skated with a no-contact jersey at practice today but could still return to the lineup tomorrow versus Dallas, relays Max Miller of The Hockey News. The 25-year-old has missed the last four weeks with a lower-body injury and was originally expected to return sometime after the break so he appears to be ahead of schedule. Kostin has a goal and three assists in 26 games this season but also has 82 hits. After putting up 19 goals in the past two seasons combined, he could be a trade candidate for a team looking to add some grit on their fourth line.
