REPORT: Connors and Wright to AHL, Kings Down to One Roster Decision

Later this afternoon, Kings coach Peter Laviolette will fill out his lineup card for the team’s fourth and final preseason contest. And while his stated goal is to show a group that is pretty, pretty close to the final version, there appears to be at least one final roster decision looming large.

Per sources, LA has once again made a round of roster cuts, inching closer to Monday’s deadline. Promising prospects Kenny Connors and Jared Wright have been assigned to AHL Ontario. This pair of moves made sense all along, primarily because of their waiver status and lack of defined role; it has nothing to do with their skill or future with the club. Both players are expected back in the NHL.

For now, they can both join the Reign without being sent through waivers first. That’s always a plus this time of year. Second, and especially in the case of Connors, it makes far more sense for the 23-year-old forward to join an AHL team where he can play significant minutes and be used in all situations every night. If nothing else, this will only enhance his skills and make him even more valuable when he eventually returns to the big club. He’s already a coach’s dream and his stock is at an all-time high within the organization. Unfortunately, there just isn’t a spot for him among the Kings 23-man roster… yet.

The decision to send Connors and Wright down was largely aided by Friday’s news that Mats Zuccarello appears ready to go. If it holds, he will obviously hold down one of the roster spots — making a tight situation among the forwards even tighter.

Zuccarello on the ice today, no red jersey #GoKingsGo

— Alexander Legget (@LeggetNHL) September 25, 2026

Based on the press scrum today, sounds like Zuccarello is playing in tomorrows preseason game #GoKingsGo

— Alexander Legget (@LeggetNHL) September 25, 2026

Assuming Zuccarello is healthy and ready to go, the Kings still need to assign one defenseman to Ontario (after he clears waivers). It’s been presumed since camp began that the team would keep Erik Gustafsson on the roster over Scott Perunovich.

So, what’s left?

We took a deep dive on things a few days ago, see here for more context. However, we’ll align everybody based on some of the stuff Laviolette has shown at practice recently:

Panarin – Byfield – Kempe
Zuccarello – Turcotte – Laferriere
Moore – Haula – Laughton
Armia – Helenius – Perry
Lee – Ward

Anderson – Clarke
Edmundson – Doughty
Dumoulin – Ceci
Gustafsson

Kuemper
Forsberg
Portillo

The 24-player list above doesn’t include Fiala, who will open the season on injured reserve. That’s still one too many.

Therefore, it looks like it’s all going to come down to, will GM Ken Holland actually make the call to carry three goalies?

If so, he’ll also need to put one of two players on waivers: Andre Lee or Taylor Ward.

Conversely, if he wants to keep both forwards, Erik Portillo will need to be assigned elsewhere. He is waiver-exempt for now too, which could come into play. Regardless, the Reign already have their top two netminders. It’s a crowded situation, and we dove into that discussion here.

As for Lee and Ward, here’s what we shared the other day:

It gets tricky. Both would need to clear waivers to join the Reign. Lee is likely the tougher guy to sneak through. He’s 6-foot-5 and had a breakout year in the AHL last season, including 26 goals. He won’t be a top-6 player in the NHL, so offense isn’t his No. 1 weapon. Yet, anybody paying attention this preseason is aware how impressed coaches and teammates have been with the growth in his overall game. He’s also on a one-year deal at $850K AAV, that could be pretty attractive for a team looking to add some size and depth.

Ward is a different story. He split time between the NHL and AHL last season and earned himself a two-year contract extension. That shouldn’t be ignored in situations like this. Ward was given a long look in training camp and held his own at times, yet that contract length may be enough to scare teams off if he ends up on waivers.

Training camp is almost over. Preseason is almost done. Which means, 2026-27 can finally begin in just a few short days. One key decision remains.

UPDATE, 11AM:

The Kings have placed Ward and Perunovich on waivers, as expected. If they clear tomorrow, they’ll be assigned to AHL Ontario. LA also recalled defenseman Kirill Kirsanov as a precautionary move.

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Lead photo by Megan Sanders

MORE LA KINGS NEWS:

Portillo: Where Does he Fit in to the LA Kings Plans This Season?

Brzustewicz Trending Toward Ontario, With a Familiar Face Alongside Him

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