LOS ANGELES — Kings prospects must be NHL-ready to earn a promotion from the minor leagues. They also must be Darryl Sutter-ready in order to play for the Kings’ demanding coach, who’s no fan of playing inexperienced players unless he has no other choices.
Adrian Kempe, a 20-year-old left wing from Sweden, got a chance to reward the Kings’ faith in him when he made his NHL debut in Thursday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes at Staples Center. How long he stays, how much he plays might not be up to him, however.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him,” Sutter said. “We need some speed in our lineup.”
The Kings also need a skillful player to skate on left wing.
“I’ve seen him a little bit,” Sutter said. “I’ve seen him in preseason. I don’t think anything’s changed much. He hasn’t had a great year down there, but he had a good training camp. We’ll see. We have a few games at home here. It’s a tight schedule. We’ll see.”
No question, the Kings are a team in transition, moving ever farther from their days as Stanley Cup champions in 2012 and 2014. They emerged from their five-day NHL-mandated bye week younger and less experienced than they were going into it.
Kempe and defenseman Paul LaDue, 24, were recalled from the Ontario Reign of the AHL earlier in the week. Right wing Devin Setoguchi, 30, cleared waivers and was assigned to the Reign. Defenseman Tom Gilbert, 34, was traded to the Washington Capitals.
Sutter placed Kempe on a line with center Anze Kopitar and right wing Tyler Toffoli for Thursday’s morning skate, a move that highlighted the need for more speed and skill in the lineup. Kempe is known as a strong skater who can create plenty of scoring chances.
Kempe’s resume is a work in progress, however. He has 11 goals and 19 points and a minus-7 defensive rating in 43 games for the Reign this season, only his second full season in North America after the Kings made him a first-round draft pick (29th overall) in 2014.
Expectations for him are high and so far there have been only flashes of brilliance, a fact that’s concerned some in the Kings’ organization. Progress has been measured in fits and starts and simply hasn’t been as fast or as steady as hoped.
“I think defensively I’ve been improving a lot since I came over (from Sweden),” Kempe said. “I know they didn’t trust me when I came over first for my defensive play. … I think I’ve been a lot better. I think I try to work on that and everything, my skating, my shot and everything.”
Quick update
Jonathan Quick continues to skate and take shots from his teammates in a three-goalie rotation, but there is no timetable for his return to the lineup. He suffered a serious groin injury in the Kings’ season-opening game Oct. 12, and is likely to be sidelined until early March.
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