Although without their complete roster, the Los Angeles Kings have returned to practice as they ramp up for the post-Olympics stretch of the season.
In the most notable change to the team’s lineup, Quinton Byfield has shifted from center to wing, playing alongside Anze Kopitar and Trevor Moore on the top line. The coaching staff hasn’t yet decided how long this adjustment will last.
“The season probably hasn’t gone quite the way we expected for a lot of people. Q may be one of them,” head coach Jim Hiller said. “I think this is a fresh look for him. Allows him to do less work in [the] d-zone and to really get moving, skating on the forecheck. And, you know, that’s what he does extremely well. He’s a centerman. We know that. He’s gonna be a centerman for us for a long time, but for now, he’s gonna slot in there.”
“I’m just starting there with Kop and trying to see how it goes. We did that before, and there’s some success,” Byfield added. “So hopefully we can get this going again.”
Drew Doughty, Darcy Kuemper and Joel Armia are all still competing at the Olympics, while Adrian Kempe’s participation concluded yesterday following Sweden’s elimination. Of course, the biggest Kings-related storyline coming out of the competition is Kevin Fiala’s leg injury, which will keep him out at least through the end of the regular season.
“Out of everyone that was going, I mean, maybe him and [Doughty] were the top two, but I think no one likes representing the country, probably, more than he does,” defenseman Mikey Anderson said. “He takes big pride in it, whether it’s World Championships or anything. I mean, he’ll drop a hat to go and do it. So, yeah, sucks for him. Obviously sucks for the team now that he’s done, but yeah, felt terrible for him. Hopefully he can get back here soon.”
As Fiala drops out of the rotation, the Kings welcome a new player to the fold in star winger Artemi Panarin, who has participated in each of the last two practices after the Kings traded for him just before the Olympic roster freeze. The team hopes that his offensive production, at more than a point per game this season, will give them a much-needed lift.
“He handles the puck so good, he knows how to create space for himself,” Anderson said of his new teammate. “No matter how tight you are to him, he finds a way to get a puck, maybe through you, around you, knows where guys are at all the time, but he’s one of those offensive threats. If you’re defending him, you know where he is all the time. So yeah, we’re happy to have a guy like him.”
The players returning from the Olympics will have less time to integrate back into the lineup, but that’s hardly a concern.
“If they’re at the Olympics, they’re elite players in their roles,” Hiller said. “They’ve had a long track record. So those players will find their spots. We’re holding spots for them, let’s put it that way. Nobody’s taking their roles away from them during this week’s practice.”