Defenseman Brandt Clarke continues to be a hot topic among LA Kings circles. And for good reason; expectations are high as he’s being groomed for an elevated role on the team’s blueline. At just 22 years old, Clarke’s offensive instincts have shined through at various times over his 105 games of NHL experience.
Case in point, his game tying goal in Vegas on Wednesday night.
“It’s a really nice play all the way around,” coach Jim Hiller noted. “He moved it up ice, but after he moved it, he kept going. Kuzy made a really nice pass to [Byfield] with speed, so a lot of things happened there; Q takes it wide. Rather than just moving the puck up, Clarke moved it and joined, he got himself active. That’s why he was able to have the speed to carry himself into the offense zone and end up at the back post. He has the green light to do that. That’s an opportunity, when he sees it, he has to go. He gives us that element.”
There are also some natural guardrails in place.
“If there’s five other guys standing back there — and we’re winning by one — he’s probably not gonna go,” added Hiller. “But, at that moment, he has to go. So it’s nice to see him recognize the moment.”
For an LA team that reworked their defense during the offseason, some of what’s to come is still best described as a work in progress. For example, Drew Doughty is said to be in a much different space heath-wise after missing much of last season. Plus, there are two new additions on the team’s third pair.
Through it all, Clarke has to be considered a major x-factor among the starting six blueliners.
“We hope it just continues to get better,” remarked Hiller. “What you’re looking for in those moments, it’s reading the moment. And when he did that, it’s great. If he can continue to pick his spots, see when it’s time to go, jump into the hole — that’s just on him, and his growth and development of understanding when and when not. The more times he’s able to read it and go, that’s going to help us. He just has to know when to do it. We hope he reads that play and does it continuously. And that will be a strength for us, for sure. He’s doing it the right way.”
In an interesting footnote that we’re tracking in the weeks ahead, Clarke was paired with Dumoulin coming into training camp. They were even listed together on the white board posted inside the Kings locker room prior to the team’s final preseason game. Then, five minutes before the guys were about to skate out for warmups, it changed. Joel Edmundson was being paired with Clarke for that game. They’ve also remained together for the first two regular season games. As Hiller said during camp, don’t assume any of the defensive pairs will stay together all year. We’ll see.
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