• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorsManor.com

NHL blog, LA Kings hockey news and interviews from The Mayor

  • Radio Replay
  • Prospect Rankings
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / HockeyBlog / Todd McLellan on Plans for Carter, Vilardi, Line Combos at Training Camp

Todd McLellan on Plans for Carter, Vilardi, Line Combos at Training Camp

December 29, 2020 By John Hoven

In advance of the Kings opening up training camp on December 31, LA coach Todd McLellan recently joined Kings Of The Podcast. While there was plenty of the usual banter and historical talk, the roughly 30-minute conversation also touched on what lies ahead…

McLellan on if the top line of Alex Iafallo, Anze Kopitar, and Dustin Brown will be kept together, in part because of their familiarity and the lack of exhibition games:

“I think that’s fair to say throughout our lineup. When you start with the D-pairs for camp, I think you’re going to see a lot of similarities to where we ended last year. Obviously, with [Olli] Maatta entering the fray, there’s a good chance he’ll be paired up with Drew and we’ll start camp that way. At least [the top line is] familiar with each other and their tendencies, for the most part. The lines, as much as we can keep them together — at least to start, to formulate a strong foundation right off the bat — I think you’ll see a lot of that as well. Obviously, we’ve lost some players, not everybody is back from last year. So there will be some holes to fill. But, without exhibition games, with a real short camp, we’ll try to keep it as familiar as possible to try and get off to a really good start. Then, as needed throughout the year, we’ll move players around. Players will earn promotions and players will, frankly, earn demotions as well based on their play. And that’s going to happen like any year.”

McLellan on keeping Gabe Vilardi with Martin Frk on the second line and then Blake Lizotte with Jeff Carter as the third line, and who will serve as left wings with those pairs:

“I think we’re going to start training camp with Kempe-Vilardi-Frk. Saying that, what we’ve found with Adrian Kempe is – one, he played better on the wing; two, he plays better when he’s the alpha on the line. And what I mean by that is, he is more seasoned; he’s somebody who the younger players will look to. You put him with Kopi and Brown and he tends to take a backseat to those two. If we can keep him the alpha on a line, and certainly with Vilardi with his inexperience — despite his talent level — I think that Kempe can help him get through some of the pitfalls that happen to young players. And Frky is a shooter, so maybe we can get him a puck every now and then and he can put it in the net. We’re looking at that as a line. [Then] Lizzo, Carter, and either [Trevor] Moore or [Austin] Wagner on wing. Then, [Michael Amadio] at the center ice position and a variety of different options.

“Everybody has to come in and earn a spot. As far as wingers go, we have some established players, we have some players that are on the cusp of either making it — or not — and they need to have really good training camps and a good start to the year. And then we have some unpredictable kids in training camp. We think that they are still… they are close to being ready. But if they’re not, the worst thing we could do to them is put them in a situation where they fail. We don’t need to do that with young players at the age of 18, 19, 20. They have to feel like they’re having success for them to grow. Lots of important decisions to make. Not only in the first couple weeks, but also in the next two months.”

Our full report on the 41 players scheduled to attend Kings training camp can be found here — it also features our projected roster for the season, plus what roles Lias Andersson and Andreas Athanasiou will look to fill.

To hear the full conversation with McLellan, enjoy the show below.

RELATED CONTENT:

Updated: List of 36 Skaters Expected at Kings Training Camp

Follow @mayorNHL

Instagram

Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com

Filed Under: HockeyBlog, Kings, NHL, Spotlight Story Tagged With: Brown, camp, Carter, comments, hockey, interview, Kings, Kopitar, lines, Los Angeles, Mayor, MayorsManor, McLellan, NHL, roster, Vilardi

About John Hoven

John Hoven is a former member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and co-hosts Kings of the Podcast. He's also the founder and editor of MayorsManor.com, which has been named Best Sports Blog in Los Angeles and Hockey Blog of the Year. Click "ABOUT OUR TEAM" below for a full bio.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carlos says

    December 31, 2020 at 7:45 am

    Refreshing to hear a coach give thoughtful, transparent answers about their players and how they plan to deploy them. His comments on Kempe were especially interesting. Love John Stevens, but I wonder if him forcing Kempe into the center role when it was clear to everyone watching he was not suited to it set the young player back a bit. It didn’t take Todd long at all to realize Adrian belonged on the wing. He still has some dazzling skill. Look forward to seeing if he and Vilardi can make some magic this season.

    Also, seems Todd values what Amadio brings to the table. I’ve always liked him and hope he can carve out a role on this team for the next few years. Looks like JAD was all but assured a spot as the 4C on this team, but looks like he’s going to have to earn it.

Primary Sidebar

Kings Of The Podcast

Kings Of The Podcast: Ep. 126 – Playoff Preview with Jason Gregor, Plus Dustin Brown Bonus

This week’s Kings Of The Podcast episode is beyond special. Not only is it the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoff Preview edition — which features the LA Kings for the very first time in KOTP history – but we also have bonus coverage from the Dustin Brown retirement press conference. Hear exclusive conversations with Brown, Rob […]

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Kopitar and Quick Share Parting Thoughts on This Season, Look Ahead to Next Year
  • Danault on Jonathan Quick, Regression Next Season, and Bringing a Third Stanley Cup to LA
  • Kempe on His Next Contract, the Kings Home Record, and Playing With Kopitar
  • Dustin Brown on His Future and Current State of the LA Kings
  • May 2022: LA Kings Salary Cap Update – What Can They Afford to do This Summer?
  • Drew Doughty: Full Transcript of 2022 Postseason Exit Interview
  • VIDEO: Todd McLellan Closing Media Session on Kings 2021-22 Season
  • VIDEO: Rob Blake Closing Media Session on Kings 2021-22 Season
  • Ontario Reign Projected Lineup vs. Colorado Eagles in Game 3; Plus Update on Kings Prospects Returning for AHL Playoffs
  • RD1, GAME 7: Kings Projected Lineup vs. Oilers; It All Comes Down to This

Tweets by mayorNHL

Footer

Archives

Tags

AHL Blackhawks Brown camp Carter Clifford coach comments Doughty draft Ducks history hockey interview Kings Kopitar lineup Lombardi Los Angeles Manchester Mayor MayorsManor Monarchs Murray NHL Ontario Penner Playoffs Prospect Quick quote Radio Reign Richards roster Sharks Stanley Cup Stoll Sutter Toffoli trade video WCB West Coast Bias Williams

MayorsManor

  • About Our Team
  • Contact Us
  • Store

© 2022 MayorsManor.com