Arthur Kaliyev’s fascinating pro hockey journey added a new chapter on Tuesday morning when the Los Angeles Kings announced that he will be loaned to the AHL’s Ontario Reign for a conditioning assignment. Kaliyev is expected to play for the Reign as early as Sunday when they host the San Jose Barracuda.
For Kaliyev, that game will be only the 41st AHL appearance of his career. Given his struggles in adapting to the Kings’ system in the last handful of years, it’s a surprisingly low number.
A good situational comparison to Kaliyev is Gabe Vilardi, who also had growing pains in his transition to the NHL. Vilardi, however, ended up playing 75 AHL games before finding his identity as a pro and understanding the type of game he needed to play to become a full time NHL player.
Kaliyev has not been afforded the same developmental patience. In 2021-22, his rookie season, he played 80 games with the Kings as a 20-year old, scoring 14 goals. Since that season, he hasn’t come close to playing a full season, due to a combination of injuries and coaching decisions. During a time when he was waiver exempt and could go to the AHL without being claimed, the Kings opted to keep him with the big club despite his struggles with former head coach Todd McLellan. Eventually, Kaliyev and his camp asked GM Rob Blake for a change of scenery, but nothing has materialized thus far.
Although it’ll be a relatively short stint, Kaliyev’s time in Ontario should do nothing but good for him and the Kings. He will receive a fresh perspective in the form of Marco Sturm and will not have to worry about playing time. Kaliyev can use the experience to reset himself and the expectations put on him.
Does that mean the Kings will be waiting with open arms once his AHL stint is complete? Highly unlikely. The LA lineup is currently all but locked, especially when looking at the top three lines. That leaves Kaliyev with a fourth line role at best, and history has shown that his strengths are not accentuated in that spot.
Where Kaliyev’s skills can be spotlighted is on the powerplay and even the Kings can’t fool themselves into thinking that Kaliyev can’t help there.
So, if the young sniper can round out his game in Ontario and work himself into the LA lineup, there’s a chance he can reclaim his home on the right flank of the second powerplay unit, where he can become the top trigger-man for Brandt Clarke.
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