The Los Angeles Kings and Arthur Kaliyev appear to be in a contractual stalemate.
Kaliyev requested a trade from the Kings shortly after their first-round playoff exit, and it still hasn’t materialized.
So what now?
Well, if both sides can work past the previous issues, Kaliyev has a good chance at being the team’s top breakout candidate this season.
The Kings moved Pierre-Luc Dubois and moved on from Viktor Arvidsson, which has left a bit of a whole up front. Yes, there are players like Akil Thomas and Alex Turcotte who are battling for a spot, but Kaliyev has a talent that they don’t: goal scoring.
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Kaliyev was scouted as a goal scorer; he scored 31, 51, and 44 goals in his three seasons with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL. He showed that he can be an elite offensive threat; it just hasn’t seemed to transition to the NHL level.
His career high at the NHL level is 14 goals in the 2021-22 season. If he is given a chance higher in the lineup alongside the Kings’ most skilled forwards, he may be able to break out and score 25+ goals.
The Kings also have a new bench boss, who was named interim after Todd McLellan was fired. This past off-season, Jim Hiller signed a new deal and now has had the entire off-season and training camp to implement his own systems. Systems that could work well with Kaliyev’s style of play.
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Although it looks bleak, hopefully the two sides can find a resolution and Kings fans can have at least one last chance to see if Kaliyev can put it all together and finally have a breakout season.