There seems to never be a boring day in the NHL.
After last night's drubbing of the Boston Bruins, 9-2, I doubted anyone saw a roster move being made. However the eternal roster perfectionist, Dean Lombardi, had other plans.
Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, who was signed this off-season to a 1-year $1.5MM contract, was placed on waivers Wednesday morning.
On the other side of things, while it has to wait to be made official, Ontario Reign defenseman Kevin Gravel looks to be on the way up for his first NHL action:
Before we get to Gravel, let's talk Ehrhoff.
Despite the move not entirely working out, there really can be little blame to the Ehrhoff move. As stated on twitter earlier in the morning, Ehrhoff has been about the worst Kings defensemen in terms of transitioning. While our personal season zone exit tracking numbers are not entirely up to date, Ehrhoff was only clicking at a rate of 68% on zone exits via pass. These are essential numbers in the Kings system, which thrives on the defenseman being THE GUY to start breakouts. We have gone over the Kings breakout numerous times, and for those wondering why the defenseman is the key cog in the breakout (along with the center),
take a look at this post.
To understand why Ehrhoff is being waived, you have to understand that it is rooted within his struggles in this aspect of the game. His linemates and teammates often gave him good outlet options, however, he struggled to find himself in the right positions to execute on those good positions. This is not damning evidence on the side of Ehrhoff being a bad player by any means. It is, however, an example that shows you that not every player can play in every system in the NHL and be successful. Ehrhoff is a good player, and will be a good player on another team (If he is claimed). In a more free flowing, carry based system like Pittsburgh, (and amongst many Eastern Conference teams) there was less stress on Ehrhoff to be a key cog on breakouts. His forced passes and trouble finding the right space in an effort to get out of the zone were often noticeable. Say what you will about Jamie McBain defensively, but the guy is absolutely excellent on breakout plays and transitional hockey (McBain is closer to 80% on pass out plays). There was also the penalty trouble that Ehrhoff often found himself in. He had one of the worst penalty differentials on the Kings current roster. As Sheng Peng pointed out on twitter, last night's penalty may have been the last straw:
Ehrhoff's 54.7 corsi for % is not bad at all. Neither is his 48.17 Corsi against per 60 number. Nevertheless, you could see from watching the Kings on a game to game basis that Ehrhoff just didn't have the right "fit" to the system. We hear Dean Lombardi bring that up in many a press conference.
The signing, by in large, was praised during the summer and still should be. It was a low risk, medium-high reward move to help depth on the back end. The Kings have very little financial ties to Ehrhoff, and will bury around 500K in cap if he clears waivers. For this reason, it is highly possible that a team claims Ehrhoff, whose contract expires at the end of this season anyways. A team like Florida, Ottawa, New York, or Arizona might jump at the opportunity to throw an NHL experienced defenseman in their 5-6 spot. .
Luke Fox with SportsNet put together a nice article highlighting this idea today The soon to be 34-year old could not cut it at times in the Kings system, but that does not mean he would not be a good, low-risk asset for another team to claim. If he clears, the Kings get a boost to the already first place Ontario Reign blueline. It was a low-risk move that didn't pan out, but you have to credit Lombardi for even trying something.
Kevin Gravel
The man coming up the other side is 23-year old Kingsford, Michigan native Kevin Gravel. He was taken in the 5th round of the 2010 NHL Entry draft, and was actually playing without a contract last year in the AHL with Manchester due to the Kings being over contract limit, and him being outside of the confines of his entry level deal. It was, however, communicated to Gravel that he would be in the fold with the organization in the future. He had quite a strong collegiate career with the St. Cloud State Huskies, the same school in which fellow Kings prospects Nic Dowd and Johnny Brodzinski played for. He appeared in two NCAA tournaments with the Huskies, and twice won conference championships with them.
This season with Ontario, Gravel has been nothing short of fantastic.
From a scouting standpoint, here is a personal report on Gravel:
He plays a two-way game. He admittedly takes care of his own end first before transitioning to offense. That transition to offense has really come to life in the last two to three seasons of his development. Originally a more stay-at-home style defensman, Gravel has started using his skating ability to jump into the rush and make two and three man attacks three and four. He has excellent size at 6'4, a very long reach, and an active stick in his own zone. Gravel's coverage of passing lanes, gap control, and one-on-one play using his stick is something that is outstanding at the AHL level. He is not overly physical, but will play the body and assert himself on opposing forwards. From an offensive standpoint, he has a heavy slapshot, and an excellent all-around thinking of the game. His spatial awareness is a strong point in both zones.
Maybe the most impressive thing about Gravel's game, at least at the AHL level, is how sharp and immediate his thinking is. There is almost zero hesitation in his outlet passes, his decisions with the puck, and his decisions WITHOUT the puck. He excels in cognitive quickness. While other players on Ontario, even Derek Forbort, can visibly second guess themselves or take an extra moment to make a play, Gravel is sharp, decisive, and assertive whenever he can be. If it is jumping into the play, closing a gap on a forward, or putting a puck on net, the big Dman rarely hesitates. The real challenge for the big St. Cloud grad will be can he continue to be that quick and assertive with the increased speed and limited space of the NHL game. It will probably take a few games to figure it out, but overall he has been the most promising defenseman on the Ontario Reign this year. Not to give too much away on Hockey's Future incoming Top 20 Prospects for the LA Kings (Shameless self plug), but Derek Forbort was no longer going to be the No. 1 Kings defensive prospect. This guy was. It was rumored that before the Kings departed for their trip out East, Lombardi and Sutter were in attendance at CBBA for at least one of the weekend games against the San Jose Barracuda. Was it to discuss the man now on the way to join the Kings? Maybe.
He plays a game that simply fits the L.A. Kings style moreso than Christian Ehrhoff. The nice thing here in this move is also the timing of it.
Gravel (If he plays at all, we all know Sutter loves his vets) will get a decent amount of games before the February 29th NHL Trade deadline. If he proves to be more of a liability or needs more seasoning, the Kings still have time to make a move to acquire another defenseman to help their potential cup run. They will have also freed up a little more cap space with the departure of Ehrhoff. The Kings have done this in past years with Jordan Nolan, Tanner Pearson, Tyler Toffoli, and Dwight King. Before looking for outside help, why not try and see if any of the kids are ready? Gravel, by all accounts, has looked ready in his last 10-15 games in the AHL. It will be exciting to see how he progresses in this next phase. As always, it is best to limit expectations on a first NHL call-up. AHL good does not equal NHL good.
As far as the waiving of Ehrhoff goes, it is part of the business. He may get claimed, and if he does the team that claims him will likely be very pleased with their low-risk find. As stated earlier, Ehrhoff is not a bad defenseman, he just wasn't the RIGHT defenseman for the Kings. Rich Hammond put it very well on twitter as well:
Teams have 24 hours to put in a claim for Ehrhoff, and we will know the outcome by tomorrow morning. Gravel will reportedly be with the Kings by the weekend games (Friday/Sunday?) on this trip.
On a side note, Peter Budaj is ALSO potentially on his way up to the Kings after Jonathan Quick was injured late in the Boston game during a collision. Quick is currently considered day to day.
The Kings continue their swing tomorrow with a meeting with the New York Islanders. The game will be the first night of a back to back, and the first of three games in four days.
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