In an update provided earlier today by LA Kings PR, forwards Anze Kopitar and Joel Armia are both out day-to-day with injuries.

Both players left last night’s game against Minnesota and did not return. Kopitar’s lower-body injury came in the first period and he did not return as the Kings came back onto the ice to start the second period. Looking back at the video, it was hard to pinpoint anything specific that led to it. Armia’s upper-body injury came midway through the second period and he left the bench and did not return. His last shift of the game came on the penalty kill and it looked like he got shaken up after a collision at the blueline with Minnesota defenseman Quinn Hughes. He finished that shift but looked to be laboring a bit and he did not come back into the game after that point.

As a result, the Kings finished last night’s game with just 10 forwards and pulled out a gutsy, 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Really impressive performance, especially against that team. The Kings cancelled practice today, which isn’t all that surprising when you consider how much the group put into last night’s game both emotionally and physically. It was a very taxing win on a number of fronts and the coaching staff here has almost always prioritized rest and recovery over on-ice instruction. So, today becomes a day off the ice and I’d expect to see everyone involved in morning skate tomorrow at Toyota Sports Performance Center and then we’ll see where things are at heading into tomorrow’s game versus San Jose.

The question now is what does a full-team morning skate look like for the Kings tomorrow?

Kopitar and Armia are day-to-day, so we don’t know what their availability could be for tomorrow’s game. The fact that they were given a designation would lead you to believe that they could miss a game, but day-to-day is exactly that. What you feel today might not be exactly what you feel tomorrow. Neither player is ruled out for tomorrow. We’ll see if they are able to skate tomorrow and we’ll get an update on both players after tomorrow’s skate.

So what about Trevor Moore?

Moore’s status is equally unknown. He was on the ice today, despite the team not practicing, and he has been on the ice over the last few days. Here’s what Jim Hiller had to say after last night’s game –

“I’m not sure on that one. Obviously, we would like him to based on certain circumstances, so we’ll see. We’ll have to square that around, we’ll have to figure all that out. We may even have to call somebody up, who knows, but we’ll know the answer better tomorrow.”

I don’t know a ton beyond that on Moore, so another to ask about in the morning. If he is able to go, the Kings could go with 11 forwards and seven defensemen against San Jose, which wouldn’t be all that surprising, without even requiring a recall. We know that Hiller likes 11 forwards and that would give defenseman Jacob Moverare the chance to come in and play, which he deserves to. He’s been a good soldier and a great teammate as someone who puts the work in, day-in and day-out, and will be about as ready to go as one could be in that position. If Moore can play, he’s essentially a 1-for-1 swap for Armia, in that Armia took his spot when Moore went out, so it’s an easy one. While Armia is arguably the best penalty killer in the NHL, Moore is also a good PK guy who offers a shorthanded threat offensively. That’s probably the easiest possible solution, if Moore can play, with Alex Laferriere likely to get more shifts in the middle in that scenario.

If not, or even potentially in addition to, we could be looking at 1-2 recalls from the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

For tomorrow, the Kings don’t need to go overboard, because it’s a home game and Moverare is an option with 11 forwards. It’s the next few days I’d be really looking at, because the Kings go on the road to Winnipeg and Edmonton and I’d be surprised if they made that trip with only 18 skaters, considering the proximity and the back-to-back, especially if one of those skaters is Kopitar, Armia or Moore coming back off an injury. With two players day-to-day and Moore’s status not really known, but essentially in a day-to-day position, a lot could change in 48 hours. We could be looking at more than 18 guys who are healthy enough to go on that plane. If so, there’s no concern. However, if reinforcements are needed for tomorrow’s game or the Canadian trip, there are plenty of options available from the Reign.

I’m looking first at forward Andre Lee, both based on his play in the AHL this season and his familiarity with the Kings and the Kings’ familiarity with him. Lee played 19 games with the Kings last season in a fourth-line role. Jim Hiller spoke very positively of him and clearly liked his game in that role. When Lee was assigned back to the AHL for good, Hiller’s message was that he could play in a limited NHL role right now, but the Kings wanted him to go down, play top-six minutes in the AHL and add more skill and offensive ability into that mix. At the time, the Kings felt that 20 minutes in the AHL was more valuable for Lee than eight in the NHL. Over the last 12 months, Lee has certainly taken some strides forward. He currently leads the Reign with 15 goals and 27 points and still has the things in his game that endeared him to the coaching staff in the first place. He’s 6-5, plays to that size and brings physicality. Now, he’s a better hockey player than he was last time he was in the NHL.

Beyond that, other options on the wing would include Nikita Alexandrov, who has 12 points (4-8-12) in 13 games since he was acquired from St. Louis last month, as well as Martin Chromiak, who continues to develop in the AHL and has proven to be a consistent scorer at that level, and Taylor Ward, who has 12 goals this season thanks to a hot start and made a good impression when he was recalled to play in Game 82 with the Kings last season.

There’s also the possibility, though, that the Kings might need a center. If so, I’d look at Cole Guttman. Guttman has good versatility, can play both center and wing, so he could be a good option for the Kings either way. He had a slow start offensively but he’s now collected 19 points (7-12-19) over his last 19 games played with Ontario. Guttman has 41 games of NHL experience with Chicago and has played both center and wing at this level. He’s undersized but I thought he really impressed in preseason in the game the Kings played against Utah in Boise, maybe the best forward on the ice that night. He was signed to be a veteran, top-six guy in the AHL but for moments like this, he’s a viable option.

Glenn Gawdin, who was second on the Reign last season with 26 goals and 62 points, and Kenny Connors, who has impressed in his rookie season in the AHL, would also be options who could and should be considered if a center is needed. Connors has impressed from Rookie Faceoff right on through the first 32 games of his professional career. Could be an interesting option, as a young, drafted player.

That’s a lot of words to say about something we don’t know. But with the Kings off until tomorrow, I wouldn’t expect a heck of a lot more than that. Will provide more full updates tomorrow morning when we get a better sense of the situation.