Day 2 of Los Angeles Kings training camp had a different kind of energy, and the prospects helped drive it. After a quieter opening day, the second session brought more life to the ice, along with a few revealing comments from Artemi Panarin, Brian Dumoulin and Martin Chromiak.
Panarin was the first player to step in front of the media, and the conversation quickly turned to the massive contracts handed out to younger stars around the league. His response leaned into the humor of the moment. Asked about the salary explosion this offseason, including deals for Cale Makar and Leo Carlsson, Panarin joked, “I feel like an Uber driver now (all laughing) ….but Uber Black.”
Dumoulin, meanwhile, was asked about something more structural: whether the Kings’ defensive identity could shift under new leadership and captaincy letters. He didn’t sound like someone expecting a wholesale change.
Instead, he pointed to the value of starting from a strong defensive base and building from there. “Yeah, I think so.
I mean, I think it’s a good way to go about it where you kind of have that defensive. Uh, kind of mindset before you kind of just sell the farm and try to get too, too, uh, involved offensively.
So, I mean, I think it’s a good thing where we’re coming from. Yeah, I think it’ll take some time to go get different needs.
I want to hear them, but we were playing last year. So, um, I mean, it’s gonna be fun.
Obviously, we don’t have a lot of time to kind of get used to it. So every day is important and it’s gonna be a good challenge.”
Chromiak offered a look at how he spent his offseason, and the theme was clear: get stronger, get faster, and spend more time on the ice. “At the same time, I would say stronger, faster.
Try to be on the ice way more than I used to be the last couple years. So I ended up with the biggest difference.
I tried to be on the ice, like most of the days, last month.”
The Ontario Reign forward also talked about representing Slovakia at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in May. For him, that part of the summer carried its own weight.
“As always, great honor to play for the country. I always enjoyed, and especially this year, when we were playing a lot of close games with good teams for the country.
So it’s fun as always, and it’s always an honor to represent your country.”
At 24 years old and from Ilava, Slovakia, Chromiak is carrying a busy offseason into camp, and the hope is that the work shows up when opportunities come with the Kings organization.
Vojtěch Čihař also drew attention when asked which preseason game he expects to play in, though he didn’t have a firm answer yet. “I have no idea.
I’m at least one game. I don’t know.”
A few themes have already started to emerge from camp: Drew Doughty’s leadership role, the continued emphasis on defense, and the chance for prospects like Chromiak and Čihař to make their mark. Day 2 added more clarity to all of that, and the Kings now move closer to the regular season with those lessons in tow.
In Other News...
Kings Preseason Lineup Says A Lot As Roster Battle Tightens
The Kings are using a preseason meeting with the Mammoth to give their roster battle a little more shape, and the lineup is starting to reveal which players are moving closer to opening night. With many expected regulars in the mix, this game is less about experimentation and more about seeing how far a handful of camp hopefuls have come as the calendar moves toward the 2026-27 regular season.
Among the names worth watching are Andre Lee, who is in line for a meaningful role, and a group of young forwards trying to keep their momentum going through camp. Liam Lefebvre has already made it through the first round of cuts, while Kenny Connors and Koehn Ziemmer continue to get looks as the Kings evaluate who can handle a bigger stage once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Face An Early Test That Could Reshape Their Goalie Battle
The Kings open their first home preseason game against the Utah Mammoth with a lineup that already offers a few clues about where camp may be headed. Darcy Kuemper is expected to get the start in goal, giving him an early chance to settle into the kind of workload that could define his fit under new coach Peter Laviolette. On the ice, Artemi Panarin is set for his preseason debut, while Drew Doughty will not play as the newly named captain begins the season in a more symbolic role than an active one.
There is still plenty to sort out beyond the usual exhibition-game details, especially in net, where the Kings are looking for answers before the schedule gets real. Kuemper is trying to reassert himself in the crease, and every start from here carries a little more weight as the staff evaluates how the goaltending picture will look when the games count. With Mikey Anderson and Adrian Kempe wearing the letters in Doughty's absence, the first home tune-up has the feel of an early checkpoint for a roster that is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Fans Just Got A New Way To Follow This Transition Season
As the Kings navigate a transition season, the way fans follow the team is changing too. Los Angeles has struck a new direct-to-consumer media partnership with DAZN for the 2026-27 NHL season, giving supporters another route to watch preseason and regular-season games without relying only on the old setup.
For fans who still prefer traditional television, locally produced games will remain available through Angels Broadcast Television, so this is more expansion than replacement. Kings president Luc Robitaille said the goal is to give fans more ways to watch the team, and DAZNs subscription options should make the streaming side of that equation more flexible as the new season approaches. [Read more 🡒]