The Los Angeles Kings have lost two defensemen for the next little while, as Matt Roy and Mikey Anderson will both miss Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Roy has been placed in COVID protocol, while Anderson hits injured reserve after suffering an upper-body injury against the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday. The team has recalled Jacob Moverare from the taxi squad in a corresponding move.
Roy, 26, has been asked to play a bigger role in Los Angeles this season, with Sean Walker missing the season and Drew Doughty out for a considerable stretch early on. The seventh-round pick is averaging more than 21 minutes a night and has spent more time short-handed than anyone else on the Kings roster. Selected 194th overall in 2015, Roy made his NHL debut during the 2018-19 season and has continued to develop into a valuable option, skating mostly with Olli Maatta or Alexander Edler.
Anderson, meanwhile, is another mid-round pick who has been developed into a full-time contributor. Selected 103rd overall in 2017, he quickly made his way to the NHL and has played in 44 games for the Kings this season. Until leaving early Saturday, he was also averaging more than 20 minutes a night on the year and trails only Roy and Anze Kopitar in terms of total short-handed ice time.
By their profiles, you can see that losing both Roy and Anderson at the same time will have some drastic effects on the Kings’ back end. While they aren’t as important as someone like Doughty, they are key parts of a group that is performing better than many expected. The depth in Los Angeles will be tested, but luckily after Sunday, they have just one more game before the All-Star break.
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