Roster Talk: Injuries, Mersch Up, What Next? (Los Angeles Kings)

Los Angeles Kings

Roster Talk: Injuries, Mersch Up, What Next?

By Jason Lewis

Dec 9, 2015 • 5:24 pm

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As far as roster upheaval goes, this year has been pretty mild for the L.A. Kings.

In the past the team has usually had to deal with a wealth of injuries to key players like Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Ryan Smyth, and even Jonathan Quick. This season, aside from Matt Greene and Dwight King (Whom was injured in preseason), the Kings have really had a pretty set roster from day one of the season. Despite a youthful rotation on the bottom pairing and lines, the Kings have had the luxury of a fairly healthy roster.

That is until earlier this week.

Both Trevor Lewis and Kyle Clifford have been shelved this week with upper body injuries. Trevor Lewis apparently tweaked himself in practice, and originally was questionable for only one of the two games over this past weekend. Nevertheless, Lewis has now missed three games and has not made the trip East for the Kings six-game road trip, which started last night in Columbus.

Already playing without a healthy 13th forward, the Kings lost Kyle Clifford on Sunday evening's game against Tampa Bay after a hit by Victor Hedman.

While no one wants to use the big "C" word, I don't think there is any questioning what is being said here with "upper body" injury.

In a matter of days the Kings doubled the number of walking wounded from two to four, and due to that the Kings have made a move. While it is not quite midseason yet, at least part of my bold predictions laid out at the beginning of the season is coming true. Michael Mersch has been called up from Ontario and will more than likely jump right into the roster for Friday's game against Pittsburgh (Barring some warp speed healing and plane flying by Trevor Lewis.)

Kings fans have been buzzed about Mersch ever since the former Wisconsin Badgers stood out above the rest at Kings training camp.

However, due purely to a number's game with Weal and Andreoff eligible for waivers, the Kings opted to send Mersh to Ontario. With the Reign, the young winger has been nothing short of superb. He is destroying the league in shot rates, corsi, and is Ontario's leading goal scorer.

With Mersch coming up, the Kings finally get a taste of what the dominant AHL forward will be capable of at the highest level. While expectations should be tempered, there was a lot of talk about his easily translatable skillset and mentality that fit with the Kings. It is hard to imagine he is anything less than a fit. He projects like a better Dwight King style player.

Speaking of Dwight King, we are now nine weeks into the season and flush into the middle of King's 8-10 week timetable for recovery. The forward broke a bone in his foot in preseason, and needed to have it surgically repaired. The world was saddened by not getting to glimpse upon the glory that was King's Movember submission when it was in full force.

Last word on King's injury came from Rich Hammond in late November

Do we see the steady third line forward back soon?

Here is the real musing of the moment though.

Say Michael Mersch comes up and really proves he CAN play in the NHL. Say Lewis returns at the end of the road trip. Say that Dwight King is skating in a week and ready to go by the end of the road trip. Say Kyle Clifford's brain is not hurt too bad and he also is able to return.

The Kings will be faced with a bit of a good problem, but a bad one at the same time. With an entire group of healthy forwards, the Kings will have 15 forwards, with only Mersch and current seventh defenseman Derek Forbort waiver exempt.

Something has to give here.

With Weal barely getting playing time it is hard to get a gauge for his performance. It has been less than impressive when he HAS got into the lineup, but he has had very few chances to get a steady rhythm and feel for the NHL game. Andreoff, despite playing better in his elevated role on the third line, still only looks to top out as a fourth line player at the NHL. Nolan...well, Jordan Nolan is Jordan Nolan. He shows flashes and has show flashes throughout his career of better all-around play. He will make a heads up exit play. A nice one-on-one challenge of a defender. Heck, he will even show some fancy stick work at times in order to make passes or put pucks on net. However, it has always been infrequent with the 26-year old. He recently was signed to a 3-year extension that will take him up to the conclusion of the 2017-18 season as an L.A. King. He obviously is part of the plan in Los Angeles for at least a little while longer. All that being said, he has been a train wreck in analytics this year. Often being the worst Kings forward.

Hypotheticals are always silly to consider, but what if everything goes great with Mersch, and Jordan Weal starts to look more comfortable? What then for the Kings forward group? Darryl Sutter is painfully loyal to his players at times, and it is hard to imagine any scenario where Mersch and Jordan Weal make the Kings regular lineup in favor of Andreoff or Nolan. I mean, really, who doesn't want to look at a bottom six that looks like this in the near future:

King - Shore - Brown Mersch - Lewis/Weal - Weal/Lewis Clifford

Doubtful it happens, but in a perfect scenario it would be hard to opt for Andreoff or Nolan over the aforementioned lineup.

The Kings are faced with a problem that many NHL GM's face when players in the minors standout. There are too good to be where they are at, but too uncertain and unproven to be in the NHL just yet. Then when they do prove it, well, one of your other "Proven" NHL talents has to make way. It is never easy, and it is often why I say NHL GMs have an unenviable job overall.

What do we see from Mersch upon his call up? How long until King/Lewis/Clifford are healthy enough to get back into the lineup? Will Jordan Weal ever get a better chance?

More to come as the Kings head east and attempt to further themselves from the Pacific pack.

Follow me on twitter for news and notes about the Kings and the NHL

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