With the NHL Trade Deadline now done and gone, there were just a few miscellaneous housekeeping items to tidy up — and one of them was assigning jersey numbers for the two new LA Kings players. In advance of the Kings hosting the Canadiens later today at Crypto.com Arena, that’s been scratched off the do list — even though we still don’t have official confirmation if both players will be available to skate against Montreal.
Scott Laughton
Acquired from Toronto for a third-round pick, Laughton will wear No. 21 in LA. He made his NHL debut in that number with the Flyers. He later changed that to No. 49 in Philadelphia after going through a bad stretch there and wanting a fresh start. The 49 was a way of showing respect to his original training camp number, hoping to find some of that youthful energy and excitement as he looked forward. He later returned to 21 with the Flyers. After being traded to Toronto last year, Laughton needed a new number, as his familiar 21 was previously retired by the Maple Leafs to honor Borje Salming. He chose 24 there and is now reverting back to his previous 21 in LA.
“[This is] an opportunity for us to look at him,” GM Ken Holland said, adding any talk of a contract extension for the pending UFA will wait until the summer. “The coach knows him, but I’d like to see him. We’re still trying to get in [to the playoffs]. He can kill penalties, win draws, he’s competitive, and just gives us more depth. … He’s a really good third-line center. He’s greasy, he’s gritty.”
More here: Kings and Maple Leafs Agree to Trade for Laughton
Mathieu Joseph
LA signed Joseph for the balance of this season after his contract was terminated by the Blues. He’s 29 years old and has 459 games of NHL experience. The Laval, Quebec native isn’t somebody we’d also expect to play every game down the stretch, despite his familiarity with coach DJ Smith. More likely, he’ll be used as a 13th forward, rotating in and out of the lineup depending on the availability of other players.
Joseph will wear No. 17 in LA — after previously wearing 7, 21, and 71 in his NHL career.
“He’s a guy that works extremely hard,” explained Smith. “I had him in Ottawa. Then he was in St Louis for a bit, won a Stanley Cup in Tampa. Obviously, things haven’t gone great for him this season. He took the opportunity to get a chance to play in the league again. And came here and chose us. I think we’re going to get his best version. He can really skate, penalty kill. He works. And he’s one of these guys that can do a little bit of everything. And if we can get his confidence up, I think it can really help us.”
More here: Kings Sign Former DJ Smith Player for Possible Bottom-6 Role This Season
For deals on Kings jerseys and other team merchandise — including free shipping today — CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW FOR MORE INFO::
Follow @mayorsmanor
Continue reading...