While the Los Angeles Kings' forward group looks to be just about set heading into the season, where the team will look a little different is on the blue line.
Out are Sean Durzi, Sean Walker and Alex Edler, leaving multiple open spots within the team's defense group.
We know the top-four group is bascially solidified, with the Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty pairing, along with the more recently established Vladislav Gavrikov and Matt Roy pairing. Of course, it’s possible these pairings could be broken up in order to spread veterans across the team’s three pairings at some point, but it’s unlikely, and we know which defensemen will take on the biggest minutes for the Kings.
For the final two playing spots though (and remaining roster spots altogether), they’re going to come down to Tobias Bjornfot, Brandt Clarke, Jordan Spence, Andreas Englund, and possibly Jacob Moverare.
Of course there are other players with some NHL experience, like Kevin Connauton, Joe Hicketts and Steven Santini, but the five players above are the ones to watch.
However, the Kings’ cap situation remains a major consideration. As of now, it seems likely the Kings won’t be able to fill out a full 23-man roster to begin the year, based on a lack of available cap space.
Regardless, with two open playing spots within the defense group, below we take a look at who’s most likely to earn a job out of training camp.
TOBIAS BJORNFOT
On the left side, Tobias Bjornfot seems to be the clear choice to take on a third-pairing role. Bjornfot spent the majority of both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons with the Kings, before heading back to the AHL to play with the Ontario Reign last season. In his time with Los Angeles, he had failed to make a substantial impact and despite being a fine depth player, there wasn’t a ton about his game that was making him stand out, for better or worse.
A former first-round pick from 2019, there isn’t necessarily as much excitement around the defender as there once was, but he’s still just 22 years old and the hope is he could factor into long-term plans. He may not be able to bring the offensive upside the team would’ve hoped for, but this will be a key year to get a better sense of what kind of player he’ll be.
The biggest factor with Bjornfot is that he’s no longer waiver-eligible. So unless the Kings are willing to risk losing him for nothing, he’s going to get a roster spot. But it’s what he’s able to do with that spot that’ll be most interesting to track.
ANDREAS ENGLUND
Signed to a two-year contract at a $1 million cap hit, Englund is an interesting addition. The defenseman stands at 6-foot-3 and played 47 NHL games last season, between time with both the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks.
I don’t think the intention is really to use Englund as a regular NHL player, given he still wasn't really even a full-time NHLer last season. At 27 years old, he’s not likely to be a long-term fit with the team, and he’s probably viewed as a roster piece to aid with the development of the younger defensemen.
What the team gets with Englund will be a player who can come in and out of the lineup. It doesn’t benefit the Kings at all to have Bjornfot, Clarke and Spence on the roster when healthy (even if they had the cap space to do so), because it means one of them would always be in the press box anyways. Given their respective ages, that’s not ideal for their development.
But with Englund, the Kings won’t really be concerned about development. If Englund gets into the lineup, he's likely to play a minimal, bottom-pairing role, and he’s an ideal fit to have as a spare on the roster, if the Kings had the cap flexibility for that.
He played in both of the team's preseason games in Australia, so he’s certainly getting a look. I think with a healthier cap situation, Englund probably acts as a seventh defenseman (unless the role was given to the player below).
JACOB MOVERARE
While Englund would be the more likely candidate as a spare if the Kings could afford it, Moverare is another option. He’s spent the majority of the last three years with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, but has gotten into 21 games with the Kings over the last two seasons.
At 25 years old, if Moverare was going to become an NHL defenseman, now’s the time. He’s in a similar situation to Englund in that even if he made the roster, he’s unlikely to be an every day player. But between the two defenders, Moverare could have the higher ceiling and given he’s two years younger than Englund and has come up through the Kings’ system, a strong preseason could set him up for more of a look. Moverare had a goal in his single preseason game against the Arizona Coyotes
BRANDT CLARKE
It looked like there was a decent shot Clarke would stick with the Kings last season. He made the team’s roster to start the year, and looked good in his limited stint in the NHL, but the possibility of his entry-level contract sliding for another year was too promising to pass up.
Clarke returned to the OHL’s Barrie Colts and put up massive numbers, scoring 23 goals and 61 points in just 31 games. Now turning pro, Clarke can either start the year with the Kings, or in the AHL with the Ontario Reign. Based on what we saw last year, Clarke could probably join the roster right out of camp and be a good fit on the third pairing, playing in a sheltered role to give him a bit of time to continue adjusting to professional hockey.
I think another factor in this is that Matt Roy will be due for a contract extension next summer as well. If Clarke can make a case for a top-four role by the season’s end, the Kings may opt to part with Roy next summer, rather than invest in a more expensive extension for the defenseman. Obviously, if Clarke is ready to take on a larger role behind Drew Doughty by the start of the 2024-25 season, he’d be a much more cost-effective option for the team.
As of now though, Clarke is dealing with an injury, and didn’t travel with the team to Australia. But with the defenseman expected to get into preseason action soon, he’ll certainly have a chance to earn a spot.
At the same time, there’s one other defenseman who could make a case for the right side of the third pairing:
JORDAN SPENCE
The key with Clarke or Spence is that whoever makes the roster should be playing just about every game. Based on their age, you don’t want either sitting out of action (though again, it’s unlikely the Kings would even have the cap flexibility for a spare). Both Clarke and Spence are still waiver-exempt, so there isn’t much of a chance both players start on the roster.
While Clarke might be the favourite to start the year with the Kings, there’s an argument to have Spence in that third pairing spot instead. Spence has now played 33 regular season games (between the regular season and playoffs) and has done about all he can to warrant a promotion, posting near point-per-game numbers in the AHL over the last two seasons.
Plus, he’s looked great in the preseason, with an assist in each of the two games in Australia.
Spence is two years older than Clarke, and is going to be due for a new contract next summer. However, this may actually play into the idea that Clarke is the better fit for an NHL role as well.
By using Clarke in an NHL role (2026 RFA) and Spence in an AHL role (2024 RFA), the Kings probably get Spence signed next summer for at least an additional year at a cap hit below $1 million, once it comes time for him to re-sign. If the possible plan was to run with a right side of Doughty, Clarke and Spence in 2024-25 and let Roy walk away in free agency, using Clarke in the NHL now while he’s under contract and giving Spence another year in the AHL where he can’t really increase his value in a contract year would be the best way to do it cap-wise.
It may seem like investing too much thought into salary cap implications versus actual roster construction, but again, this has to be a major factor for the Kings at this point, given their situation.
So one more year in the AHL may seem like a somewhat likely scenario for Spence – but if Clarke were to stumble early on, we could see Spence jump into an NHL role pretty quickly.
So while Bjornfot seems locked in, it’ll be interesting to track which defender between Clarke or Spence gets the spot on the right side, and if there’s a spare, whether Englund or Moverare takes the role.
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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