LA Kings: Roster trimmed to 34 players, predictions for final cuts

On a busy Saturday, the LA Kings trimmed their training camp roster down to 34 players (20 forwards, 11 defensemen, and 3 goaltenders). Earlier in the day, the team also placed six players on waivers.

Here’s the breakdown for the roster trims.

Loaned to the Ontario Reign

• Jaret Anderson-Dolan (F)
• Aidan Dudas (F)
• Alex Turcotte (F)
• Samuel Fagemo (F)
• Arthur Kaliyev (F)
• Rasmus Kupari (F)
• Tyler Madden (F)
• Johan Sodergran (F)
• Jordan Spence (D)
• Sean Durzi (D)
• Markus Phillips (D)
• Helge Grans (D)
• Jacob Ingham (G)
• Matt Villalta (G)

Released from PTO, will report to Ontario

• Jacob Doty (F)
• Adam Johnson (F)
• Nikita Pavlychev (F)
• Brett Sutter (F)
• Cameron Gaunce (D)
• John Lethemon (G)

Released from ATO, will report to Ontario

• Brett Kemp (F)

Assigned to Ontario

• Lukas Parik (G)

34 players left in camp

Forwards (20)

• Anze Kopitar
• Viktor Arvidsson
• Dustin Brown
• Alex Iafallo
• Phillip Danault
• Lias Andersson
• Andreas Athanasiou
• Gabriel Vilardi
• Adrian Kempe
• Trevor Moore
• Brendan Lemieux
• Quinton Byfield
• Vladimir Tkachev
• Blake Lizotte
• Austin Wagner
• Carl Grundstrom
• Brayden Burke^
• Akil Thomas (injured)
• TJ Tynan^
• Martin Frk^

Defensemen (11)

• Drew Doughty
• Matt Roy
• Sean Walker
• Mikey Anderson
• Alexander Edler
• Tobias Bjornfot
• Olli Maatta
• Kale Clague^
• Jacob Moverare^
• Austin Strand
• Christian Wolanin

Goaltenders (3)

• Cal Petersen
• Jonathan Quick
• Garret Sparks^

^Note: the players put on waivers still count toward the overall roster until they clear, so the roster is really at 28 players. Akil Thomas is injured and cannot be assigned anywhere just yet, so call it 27 players. That means the Kings will have to cut four more players to round out the 23-man Opening Night roster.

Predictions for final four cuts

• Austin Strand
• Christian Wolanin
• Austin Wagner
• Carl Grundstrom

The defensemen on this list in Strand and Wolanin are fairly obvious cuts, given that the top-six defenders look set on paper. It really comes down to who the Kings prefer as their seventh defenseman.

On paper, it’s probably Olli Maatta. But his remaining $4.1M salary probably makes him a safe bet to clear waivers, if indeed the organization feels that either Strand or Wolanin would be more effective in that role.

The two forwards are tough. Ask me tomorrow, and I will likely have a different answer. I went with Austin Wagner and Carl Grundstrom simply because the roster is overcrowded, and these two just haven’t shown enough to prove they are worth a roster spot. The Kings might like Grundstrom’s physicality or Wagner’s speed.

Under that umbrella, perhaps Quinton Byfield starts the year in Ontario and is waiver exempt. But, for now, those are my predictions.