LA Kings: Could Martin Chromiak be a name to watch in training camp?

The LA Kings have several question marks as free agency looms, but could Martin Chromiak be a dark horse to make the team out of training camp?

Chromiak, 23, signed a one-year contract earlier this month, returning to the organization for his fifth professional season. The Slovakian native’s point production hovered between the low and high 30s these past two years with the Ontario Reign, before he finally broke out with a 56-point campaign this past year.

The end of the 2024-25 campaign, when he played on a line with AHL veterans Glenn Gawdin and Charles Hudon, brought him another chance with the organization, with his strong end to the season. Realizing that he needed to make an impression and be more consistent, Chromiak did just that, playing in Ontario’s top-six forward group and on the first power-play unit.

In 71 regular-season games, Chromiak led the Reign in goals (28) and points (56). His play made him a possibility for a call-up, but that opportunity didn’t materialize. Now, fresh off inking his new one-year contract, Chromiak has an opportunity to earn himself a spot on the Kings, or have his name thrown in the hat for a potential call-up if needed.

The Kings are thin at the center position, which they will almost certainly look for outside help to fill the holes on the roster. At the wing, they are stacked. Artemi Panarin and Adrian Kempe seem to be locks on the top line, flanking Quinton Byfield, who right now looks like the most logical option for the first-line center spot. Kevin Fiala will be returning from serious fractures in his left leg that he suffered during the Olympics.

Then you add Alex Laferriere, Trevor Moore, and Joel Armia. Then you have Alex Turcotte, who can play both positions, Taylor Ward, who finished the season in LA, and Andre Lee as a possibility to make a roster spot.

We’ll see if the Kings add a winger in the offseason, but Martin Chromiak is a name to watch in training camp, one that will be filled with competition. A right-handed shot who can play in LA’s middle six. His shot, especially his blistering one-timer from the left circle on the power play, is mainly the only tool he has in his toolbox.

The preseason games will be trimmed from six to four games, with the NHL going to an 84-game schedule as the new collective bargaining agreement gets underway. That means Chromiak will have to make a big impression.

If the Kings want to fill one of the winger spots for cheap with potential upside, then Chromiak could fit that bill. However, being an unknown product at the NHL level is a risk for a team that views itself as a contender in the Western Conference.

Once a potential hidden gem, could this be Chromiak’s first and only chance to make the Kings?

Featured image credit: Megan Sanders/Ontario Reign

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