Los Angeles Kings News

The Rangers open their season on October 9th against the Pittsburgh Penguins and are hopeful that Panarin will be ready to suit up. Panarin battled a lower-body injury through a large portion of training camp but appears to be on the mend. The 32-year-old Panarin is coming off a career-best season where he scored an astonishing 120 points (49G / 71A) in 82 contests. Panarin has played all 82 games in back-to-back seasons and is averaging an impressive 1.32 points per game in his five seasons with the Rangers.

Doughty was hurt in an awkward play in last Wednesday's preseason game and is now considered month-to-month after it was announced the 34-year-old had successfully undergone surgery to repair a fractured ankle. It is a significant loss for the Kings as Doughty has played in all but one game in the last two seasons, averaging nearly 26:00 TOI/GP. In 82 games in 2023-24, he had 15 goals, 50 points, 44 PIMs and a +15 plus/minus. Brandt Clarke is expected to take his spot on the Kings' top powerplay to start the season. Head Coach Jim Hiller did mention Doughty is expected back this season.

Panarin left Tuesday's preseason game with a lower-body injury, the second preseason game he's left this month. At the moment the Rangers are calling Panarin day-to-day but it's unclear if he'll be available for their season opener next Wednesday.

Panarin left Tuesday's game in the first period and the Rangers announced that he will not return. This is the second time in a week that Panarin has departed a game with a lower-body injury. It's unclear if it's the same ailment or not, but expect more details from the Rangers as the season gets closer.

St.Louis solidified their offensive depth on Monday as they came to a one-year, two-way agreement with 24-year-old Nikita Alexandrov. The tall centre was expected to take a step forward in his sophomore campaign in 2023-24, but struggled offensively with only two assists, four PIMs and 15 SOG in 23 games played. He will look to add on to the three goals and nine career points he has amassed through his 51 NHL games played across two seasons.

Doughty was hurt in an awkward play in Wednesday's preseason game and is now considered month-to-month after it was announced the 34-year-old would undergo surgery to repair a fractured ankle. It will be a significant loss for the Kings as Doughty has played in all but one game in the last two seasons, averaging nearly 26:00 TOI/GP. In 82 games in 2023-24, he had 15 goals, 50 points, 44 PIMs and a +15 plus/minus. Brandt Clarke is expected to take his spot on the Kings' top powerplay to start the season. Head Coach Jim Hiller did mention Doughty is expected back this season.

It was reported earlier Thursday that Doughty's initial x-ray showed an ankle fracture but the 34-year-old is scheduled for more additional imaging later in the day after leaving Wednesday's preseason game with an ankle injury. If the defensemen is forced to miss a chunk of time, it will be a significant loss for the Kings as Doughty has played in all but one game in the last two seasons, averaging nearly 26:00 TOI/GP. In 82 games in 2023-24, he had 15 goals, 50 points, 44 PIMs and a +15 plus/minus.

Panarin left Tuesday's preseason game vs. the New York Islanders with a lower-body injury but will only be out day-to-day as he attempts to return in time for the Rangers' season opener on October 9th. The Rangers are hoping their star left-winger will be able to give them 82 games played for a third straight season after finishing third in the NHL in points in 2023-24 with 49 goals and 120 points in 82 games played.

Vancouver announced on Tuesday that they would be signing 38-year-old Alexander Edler to a one-day contract so that the defensemen could retire a Canuck after 17 professional seasons in the NHL. The Swedish defender last played in the NHL in 2022-23 with Los Angeles and enjoyed 1030 career NHL games played which led to 104 goals, 439 points and 733 PIMs.

Los Angeles added to its goaltending depth on Sunday after they signed 23-year-old goaltender Erik Portillo to a three-year, entry-level contract. The towering 6'6" netminder was Buffalo's 2019 3rd-round pick (67th overall) and spent 2023-24 dominating the AHL with Ontario, with his 24-11-3 record, 2.50 GAA and .918 SV%.

Edmonton needed to clear some cap space after St. Louis tenured two of their restricted free agents earlier in the week (Holloway, Broberg) and have dealt defensemen Cody Ceci and a 2025 3rd-round pick to San Jose for Ty Emberson. In 79 games with Edmonton in 2023-24, the 30-year-old Ceci had five goals, 25 points, and a +12 plus/minus in 2023-24.

George was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft (57th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Los Angeles. The 18-year-old goaltender spent 2023-24 with the Owen Sound Attack (OHL) and had a 3.30 GAA and .907 SV% while appearing in 56 games. He is expected to be one of the best goalies in the CHL in the upcoming 2024-25 season.

After a breakout season in 2023-24 which saw Byfield put up career highs with 55 points (20G/35A) in 80 games played, the 21-year-old has earned himself a five-year, $31.25 million extension ($6,250,000) with Los Angeles. Byfield was Los Angeles 2020 1st round pick (2nd overall) and has 88 points (28G/60A) in 179 career NHL games played.

Seattle managed to clear up some defensive room on Tuesday by trading away Brian Dumoulin to Anaheim for a 2026 4th-round pick. The 32-year-old is entering his 12th NHL season and has 626 games played in his career. In 2023-24 he had six goals, 16 points and 20 PIMs in 80 games played.

In one of two 'Cash Consideration' deals made by St. Louis on Tuesday, the Blues have acquired Mathieu Joseph and a 2025 3rd-round pick from Ottawa for future considerations. The 27-year-old right-winger is entering his eighth NHL season and had a career year in 2023-24, picking up 11 goals, 35 points, 51 PIMs and124 SOG across 72 games played.

Ontario (AHL) continued to add to their player depth on Monday as they signed Glenn Gawdin to a two-year, two-way contract. The 27-year-old has appeared in 13 career NHL games across four seasons but spent the vast majority of 2023-24 with San Diego (AHL) and had 22 goals and 55 points in 70 games played.

After four successful seasons in Manitoba (AHL), Jeff Malott has signed a two-year, two-way contract with Los Angeles. The 27-year-old undrafted left-winger surpassed 40+ points for a third straight year as he ended with 22 goals and 52 points in 70 games played with Manitoba.

Despite missing the majority of the 2023-24 season with a Knee injury, Pheonix Copley re-signed for a one-year contract worth $825,000 on Monday. The 32-year-old Alaska native was only able to appear in eight games in 2023-24 prior to his injury, posting a 4-1-2 record, 3.16 GAA and .870 SV%.

Edmundson will join his fourth team in three years (TOR, WSH, MTL) after he signed a four-year deal worth $15.2 million ($3.8M AAV) on Monday. The 31-year-old defensive defensemen was acquired from Washington by Toronto at the trade deadline last season and he had one goal and six points in 53 games played.

Burroughs went from a sixth/seventh defenseman with the Canucks in 2023 to a top-4 option with the Sharks. He averaged 19:09 TOI/gm and picked up eight points (2G / 6A) while finishing with the fifth-worst plus/minus (-42) in the NHL. With the Kings, he'll likely go back to being a sixth/seventh defenseman.