The Los Angeles Kings are making another tweak to their forward depth, sending Jared Wright back to the Ontario Reign and bringing up Martin Chromiak.
Wright’s time on the NHL roster lasted a little more than a week. The 23-year-old appeared in three of the Kings’ four games since his recall, sat as a healthy scratch for one, and averaged 8:41 of ice time in those three outings. He finished that stretch with one assist, one hit, two blocked shots, and two penalty minutes while working in a fourth-line role with Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee.
Chromiak is expected to slide into that same general area of the lineup, though the Kings could also shuffle things a bit more. The 24-year-old Slovak winger has not yet made his NHL debut, but he has been a consistent scorer in the AHL.
Los Angeles selected him in the fifth round in 2020, and he put together his best pro season last year with 28 goals and 56 points in 71 games for Ontario. He’s picked up right where he left off this season, posting six goals and eight points in nine games for the Reign.
The contrast between the two players is pretty clear. Wright brings an energetic, hard-working two-way game, while Chromiak leans much more toward offense.
That difference could open the door for a few lineup changes. Taylor Ward may move down into Wright’s vacated fourth-line spot, with Chromiak starting in Ward’s current place on the second line next to Quinton Byfield and Trevor Moore.
For Peter Laviolette, the rotating cast is part of the early-season evaluation. The first-year head coach is just over 10 games into his time behind the bench, and the Kings’ recent moves with Wright, Ward, and now Chromiak show he’s still sorting through which depth forwards fit best. Los Angeles is 3-6-2 through 11 games as Laviolette tries to steady the start.
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