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Kings Royal Report: Mitch Marner, Ontario Reign & More

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Michael Ostrower | Last updated 5/6/24

Welcome to the Kings Royal Report. Here we will discuss the good, bad, and ugly of the Los Angeles Kings. It will be a place to bring up recent reports, discuss prospects, brainstorm ideas, and break down the coming schedule. If you are looking for bold and creative ideas, you are in the perfect place! Now, let’s get to the good stuff!

The Los Angeles Kings’ season has ended disappointingly, once again falling to the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While they were not favored to overcome Edmonton, it is still frustrating to once again lose in Round 1. Now with the offseason underway, they may be looking to make a splash in free agency or via a trade.

Mitch Marner

The Kings have traded with the Toronto Maple Leafs before, most recently in 2020 when they acquired Trevor Moore and draft picks for Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford. Now, with the Maple Leafs falling in Round 1 to the Boston Bruins, they may be looking to offload Mitch Marner to shake up the roster, and sending him to the Western Conference makes the most sense.

Top insider Elliotte Friedman recently stated on the 32 Thoughts podcast that “this is the end of this group (Core 4) if the Leafs don’t pull off a big comeback.” Now, with the season over for the Maple Leafs, Friedman’s belief may come true. Considering Matthews and Nylander recently extended, and John Tavares is the captain, it may be Marner on the outs.

He has a full no-trade clause, so this may all be speculation, but could he be acquired? The Kings have plenty of assets, but the real issue would come with his salary. With Los Angeles projected to have less than $7 million after re-signing Quinton Byfield, Jordan Spence, and remaining depth players, from there, they will have to decide how they want to spend their remaining money, whether it be on goaltending, depth, or adding a star like Marner. Regardless of their decision, facilitating a Marner trade would require the removal of one or more impact forwards. For now, this is all speculation but he should be a name that remains in Kings fans’ minds in the coming weeks.

Ontario Reign Playoff Success

The Ontario Reign, the Kings’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, is currently up 2-0 in the best-of-five series against the Abbotsford Canucks in Round 2 of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Reign’s impressive season has been at the helm of the Kings’ top prospects, such as Samuel Fagemo, Akil Thomas, Alex Turcotte, and Erik Portillo.

The most impressive season of any Reign player was Fagemo, who scored 43 goals in 50 regular season games. He finished the season second in scoring, trailing Adam Gaudette of the Springfield Thunderbirds by just one goal while playing 17 fewer games. Fagemo took his game to the next level this season, finding the net from all over the ice. He would score on the powerplay and at even strength, from around the net and in the slot, all while battling to make the NHL roster.

Portillo’s first professional season has brought lots of promise to the Kings’ prospect pool. He went 24-11-3 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average during the regular season. He has been the playoff starter for the Reign, winning both Games 1 and 2 where he has given up just one goal on 53 shots. Moving forward, he will look to close the series for the Reign on Wednesday (May 8).

The Reign are arguably the deepest team in the AHL, so if Fagemo and Portillo can continue their impressive play, they will have a great shot at winning the Calder Cup. With the Kings’ season done, tuning into the remaining Reign games is a great way to grow familiar with the future of Los Angeles while enjoying some high-level hockey.

Is Rob Blake’s Job Secure?

With the Kings’ failing to make Round 2, many Kings fans have started questioning if Rob Blake has what it takes to get this team back to the Stanley Cup Final. His blueprint as general manager was impressive, bringing in elite prospects through a surplus of draft capital. He has mixed this youth with veteran leadership, but the on-ice production continues to fall short. With the offseason just beginning, the Kings will have a lot of decisions to make. For now, this is just an idea to think about, but time will tell if Kings’ ownership believes he is the man they trust most.

As the offseason begins for many teams, so much is left to unfold. Whether it be the Kings attempting to make a blockbuster acquisition in Marner, relying on their youth on the Reign next season, or changing management, Kings fans have a lot to think about.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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