Kings open camp with desired mix of veterans and youth

The Kings opened grooming campy Thursday with a robust harvest of 66 invitees – astir each of whom participated Thursday – who were divided into 3 groups.

There were 3 signifier sessions and a scrimmage connected the agenda. But possibly the astir compelling moments of the time were the Kings’ leaders speaking for the archetypal clip since past season’s contentious breakup time successful which skipper Anze Kopitar and alternate skipper Drew Doughty implored absorption to enrich the roster.

The Kings responded, archetypal by signing Kontinental Hockey League winger Vladimir Tkachyov. They past made a commercialized with Nashville to get winger Viktor Arvidsson, who whitethorn statesman the twelvemonth connected the apical enactment with Kopitar and his moving mate Dustin Brown. On the archetypal time of escaped agency, the Kings landed shutdown halfway Phillip Danault and longtime Vancouver Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis.

Those acquisitions came astatine a clip erstwhile a titillating harvest of prospects aspired to mature into imaginable contributors astatine the pro level, giving the Kings glimmers of hope, particularly successful a anemic Pacific Division.

“I expect america to marque the playoffs,” Doughty told reporters.

Kopitar was not rather arsenic bold but expressed a tendency and an anticipation to beryllium playing meaningful games precocious successful the season, and placed the onus to bash truthful connected the players.

Kings Coach Todd McLellan considered immoderate prognostication premature, alternatively emphasizing the accidental to get amended incrementally each and each time connected the ice.

“We request to amended earlier we state ourselves playoff-ready,” McLellan told reporters.

The “play the kids” chant has been the loudest among Kings fans of late, and high-profile prospects similar Quinton Byfield and Alex Turcotte are competing for roster spots this year. Even Doughty remarked to reporters that helium was excited to spot them connected NHL crystal arsenic the Kings sought to instrumentality to the postseason for the archetypal clip since 2018.

For his part, McLellan said the acquisition of experienced players with a winning pedigree – Arvidsson, Danault and Hamhuis person each played successful a Stanley Cup Final, albeit successful losing efforts – alleviated immoderate of the unit connected the enactment and its young players.

“We don’t person to beryllium forced into rushing young players into the lineup,” McLellan said. “We’ve added 4 players that we deliberation are susceptible of playing successful the NHL, and that’s the champion happening for these kids.”

While the Kings person aggravated contention for roster spots among their forwards and, to a lesser extent, connected the bluish line, an country wherever they are steadfast is successful goal.

Veteran Jonathan Quick, who won 2 Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe Trophy past decade, and emergent starter Cal Petersen volition support the Kings’ nett adjacent season. Petersen signed a three-year, $15 cardinal declaration hold Wednesday, which Petersen told reporters prompted friends to gag that helium could spend a location successful Los Angeles.

On the ice, some goalies should proceed to divided clip to an grade this season, though the hold was the latest successful a bid of signals that Petersen has cemented himself arsenic the No. 1 goalie.

“As the years spell on, evidently Cal has to go the guy,” McLellan told reporters.