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Los Angeles Kings News

Kuemper will start on Monday in Ottawa.

Kuemper has been terrific early in his tenure with the Kings and will start again on Monday afternoon in Ottawa against the Senators. The 34-year-old Kuemper is boasting a 1.47 GAA and .948 SV% through two games so far this season (1-0-1). The Kings enter action on Monday with even -105 odds against the Senators, who are without starting netminder Linus Ullmark.

Darcy Kuemper
Forsberg led the Senators onto the ice for warmups and will start Monday vs. the Kings.

With Linus Ullmark sidelined, the Senators will turn to Forsberg in the crease for his first start of the season. The 31-year-old Forsberg has battled injuries the last two seasons, limiting him to only 58 total appearances (26-23-2), and has been inconsistent when called upon in that stretch, posting a pedestrian 3.24 GAA and .896 SV%. The Senators enter action on Monday with even -105 odds at home versus the Los Angeles Kings.

Anton Forsberg
Kuemper led the Kings onto the ice for warmups and will start in Boston.

Kuemper had a tremendous performance on opening night, stopping 32 of 33 shots he faced in a win over the Sabres. This afternoon he's expected to face the Bruins, who have scored 10 goals in their first two games (5.0 GF/gm). The Kings are +140 road underdogs.

Darcy Kuemper
Kuemper is expected to start Saturday in Boston.

Kuemper had a tremendous performance on opening night, stopping 32 of 33 shots he faced in a win over the Sabres. This afternoon he's expected to face the Bruins, who have scored 10 goals in their first two games (5.0 GF/gm). The Kings are +140 road underdogs.

Darcy Kuemper
Kuemper will start the Kings' season opener in Buffalo on Thursday.

Kuemper was acquired via trade with the Washington Capitals in the offseason in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 34-year-old Kuemper had a forgettable 2023-24 campaign, posting a career-worst 3.31 GAA and .890 SV% in 33 appearances (13-14-3). Before last season, Kuemper was the picture of consistency, posting a superb 2.53 GAA and .918 SV% in 225 games (112-80-24) in his previous five seasons combined. After a solid preseason performance, posting a 1.52 GAA, .918 SV%, and one shutout in three contests (2-1-0), Kuemper is motivated to return to his form of years past. The Kings enter action on Thursday as slight -104 road underdogs against the Buffalo Sabres.

Darcy Kuemper
Kuemper was the first goalie off the ice at Los Angeles' morning skate.

Kuemper was acquired via trade with the Washington Capitals in the offseason in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois. The 34-year-old Kuemper had a forgettable 2023-24 campaign, posting a career-worst 3.31 GAA and .890 SV% in 33 appearances (13-14-3). Before last season, Kuemper was the picture of consistency, posting a superb 2.53 GAA and .918 SV% in 225 games (112-80-24) in his previous five seasons combined. After a solid preseason performance, posting a 1.52 GAA, .918 SV%, and one shutout in three contests (2-1-0), Kuemper is motivated to return to his form of years past. The Kings enter action on Thursday as slight -104 road underdogs against the Buffalo Sabres.

Darcy Kuemper
Doughty (ankle) has been placed on LTIR.

Doughty was hurt in an awkward play in a preseason game on September 25th and is considered month-to-month after it was announced the 34-year-old had successfully undergone surgery to repair a fractured ankle. He has been a staple on the Kings blueline for more than a decade and his impact will be sorely missed. Over the last two seasons, Doughty averaged 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.

Drew Doughty
Panarin (lower body) is expected to play in New York's season opener on Wednesday.

The Rangers open their season on October 9th against the Pittsburgh Penguins and expect that Panarin will be ready to suit up. Panarin battled a lower-body injury through a large portion of training camp. 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.

Artemi Panarin
Panarin (lower-body) returned to practice on Monday.

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.

Artemi Panarin
Doughty underwent successful surgery on his ankle and remains out month to month.

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.

Drew Doughty
Panarin left Tuesday's preseason game with a lower-body injury and will not return.

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.

Artemi Panarin
St. Louis has signed Nikita Alexandrov to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

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.

Nikita Alexandrov
Doughty will undergo surgery to repair a fractured ankle and is considered month-to-month.

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.

Drew Doughty
Doughty (lower body) left Wednesday's preseason game and is not practicing on Thursday.

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.

Drew Doughty
Panarin (lower body) left Tuesday's preseason game due to injury and is considered day-to-day.

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.

Artemi Panarin
Alexander Edler has retired from professional hockey after 17 seasons in the NHL.

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.

Alexander Edler
Los Angeles has signed Erik Portillo to a three-year, entry-level contract.

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%.

Erik Portillo
San Jose has acquired Cody Ceci and a 2025 3rd-round pick from Edmonton for Ty Emberson.

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.

Cody Ceci
Los Angeles has signed Carter George to a three-year, entry-level contract.

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.

Carter George