We have quikcly approached the halfway mark of the preseason schedule. Little has gone outside of the path of "As expected"
The major players have looked fine.
The bottom line roster battles have continued on.
The obvious cuts to juniors and the AHL have happened.
The Kings have now pared the roster down to 34, and still have quite a few players to cut to get down to the 23-man roster needed by opening night. That's 11 players for the math impaired.
LA Kings Insider has a full list of the 18 players cut on Saturday the 26th right here.
Of the "Unusual" or battling players (meaning outside of Kopitar/Carter/Dought etc) remaining up with the Kings, here are a handful:
G Peter Budaj G J.F. Berube D Derek Forbort D Jeff Schultz D Vincent LoVerde D Jamie McBain F Michael Mersch F Nick Shore F Brian O'Neill F Jordan Weal F Andy Andreoff
Some of these players have the inside track, like Shore and Andreoff, while others are likely in line for a cut despite good camps. Forbort and Mersch come to mind immediately. They have been solid enough to hang around, but given their waiver exemption status it is hard to imagine the Kings would have them occupy a roster spot ahead of a player like Schultz, McBain, or Weal, who could be claimed. It is a numbers game at times, but expect to see some of these younger guys who are cut to get their cup of coffee later in the year.
LoVerde's feel good ECHL to NHL story continues, and his low key defensive game has seen him through to some of the final cuts. Those fans who watched him in 2011-12 with the ECHL Ontario Reign will looking forward to the next round of cuts with anticipation. He certainly has his work cut out for him, but nothing is out of the question.
Speaking of happenings that could make things a little more wide open, both Matt Greene and Jake Muzzin were injured in last night's preseason game in Denver. As it currently stands, both are listed as day-to-day with the regular season quickly approaching on October 7th.
Everything else has been pretty standard for the Kings in this training camp. The team seems set in its top six forward group of Carter, Kopitar, Lucic, Gaborik, Pearson, and Toffoli. The bottom line has seen various incantations, but little should be read out of this due to it simply being preseason. Guys are definitely getting an opportunity though, that is the bottom line. Michael Mersch, Nick Shore, Andy Andreoff, and Jordan Weal continue to have exceptional camps worth noting.
We are a little light on the Kings news recently as everyone moves their way through the preseason. The Kings play two more games: Tomorrow night at Staples against the Anaheim Ducks, and Saturday in Las Vegas against Colorado as part of Frozen Fury.
The AHL Ontario Reign Camp got underway today, and more are sure to join within the week as the training camp roster continues to be cut.
Who do you think has had the most noteworthy preseason so far?
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