The 2021-22 Los Angeles Kings roster has been released. The season is upon us and there is brand new hope. What does the roster tell us about this season? That there is indeed hope for this year. Sprinkling in young, new talent should help and so should a well balanced attack. These Kings are ready to go and nothing short of a playoff spot will do.
While no big surprises are visible by looking at the roster for opening night one can definitely see a bit of change, one of many changes. It seems the Kings are slowly counting on on the younger players to make a difference. Although most of the roster is what one might expect, the two players that stand out are Vladimir Tkachev and Arthur Kaliyev.
Kaliyev was one that some people had making the roster immediately. Blessed with great hands, a laser wrist shot, and a cannon of a slap shot, Kaliyev brings much needed goal scoring from a younger player. He has shown, even at small samples, that he can in fact play and score goals in the NHL.
Tkachev brings some of what of an unknown to some hockey fans. The 26 year old is a right shooting left winger who can produce points in bunches. He can play in the top 6 and see power play time as well. He could, a the end of the year, be a sneaky pick to lead the Kings in points.
With these two youngsters making the team the goal production should be up for the Kings. There are plenty of point producers on this team for the scoring to be improved. Kaliyev and Tkachev are going to be counted on for production and to be consistent. This season should be a fun one. Sit back and enjoy the 2021-22 season. Let’s Go Kings.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (photo: sportsnet.ca; Jonathan Briggins) (photo: theathletic.com; Lisa Dillman)
