Kings Recall Martin Chromiak, Reassign Jared Wright

The Los Angeles Kings have swapped depth forwards on their NHL roster. Per a team announcement, winger Jared Wright has been reassigned to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. In his place, the Kings called up winger Martin Chromiak.

Wright has been on the Kings’ NHL roster for just over a week. The 23-year-old played in three of the team’s four games since his recall, and served as a healthy scratch for one game. In those three games, Wright averaged 8:41 time on ice per game, registering one hit, two blocked shots, two penalty minutes, and an assist. He operated in a fourth-line capacity, playing alongside Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee.

Replacing Wright on Los Angeles’ roster is Chromiak, who figures to also take Wright’s spot next to Lee and Helenius on the fourth line. The 24-year-old Slovak forward has yet to make his NHL debut, but has developed into a capable, productive goal scorer at the AHL level.

The 2020 fifth-round pick scored 28 goals and 56 points in 71 AHL games last season, which represented the best offensive production of his professional career. So far this season, Chromiak has six goals and eight points in nine games for the Reign. Chromiak plays a decidedly different style of game compared to Wright, who is an energetic, hard-working two-way winger.

Chromiak has more of an offensive bent to his game. As a result, the Kings may shift Taylor Ward down to Wright’s vacated spot on the team’s fourth line, and begin Chromiak in Ward’s current lineup slot, which is on the second line alongside Quinton Byfield and Trevor Moore.

First-year head coach Peter Laviolette is just over 10 games into his tenure coaching the Kings, meaning he’s still figuring out the kind of depth players he trusts and prefers. The team’s recent moves to shuffle through players like Wright, Ward, and now Chromiak suggest Laviolette is looking to see what he has to work with on Los Angeles’ roster as he tries to engineer a turnaround of the Kings’ early-season fortunes. Laviolette has begun his Kings tenure with a 3-6-2 record through 11 contests.