On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the Kings’ practice facility in El Segundo, the Los Angeles Kings made three roster moves that reshaped their forward depth and goaltending pipeline hours before a home game against the San Jose Sharks, LA Kings Insider reported. Forward Kenny Connors was recalled from the AHL’s Ontario Reign and took part in practice, centering a line with Joel Armia and Erik Haula. Forward Taylor Ward was reassigned to the AHL, and goaltender Hampton Slukynsky was sent from the Reign to the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits.
The moves land at a delicate moment for a Kings club trying to claw back into the playoff mix. With Connors in the fold and Ward in Ontario, the organization is betting that speed and center versatility matter more right now than Ward’s wing play, especially with Kevin Fiala’s return on the horizon. Connors appears positioned to dress Thursday against San Jose, which would mark his third career NHL game.
Connors Earned His Way Back to Crypto.com Arena
Head coach Peter Laviolette made the case for the recall in plain terms. “He’s a young player, playing really well right now down there based on the reports that we’ve gotten, he had a good game last game,” Laviolette said. “He’s used in a lot of roles, important minutes down in the American Hockey League and he can skate, he’s got good speed.”
When he was initially sent down, he said he went down not knowing he’d come back up this season, feeling he needed to “go and earn my way back.” He wasn’t angry to have missed the opening roster, he said, but he was motivated to work his way back, with a goal of proving he should be among the first players considered for an opportunity while helping the Reign win in the AHL.
He wasn’t the first forward to get the recall, but he was the first center, and that distinction matters. The Kings’ top line has largely remained intact, and adding a skating center behind it opens balance options and shifts some focus toward Fiala, who is exclusively a winger. Having a center in Connors rather than a winger in Ward makes sense from a versatility standpoint.
9⃣2⃣ is good to go, per Peter Laviolette. "He's all good. He's been a bit of a magnet for it lately, but he's a tough kid. It was good that it was nothing serious and he's back." https://t.co/uxJhyHha2T
“I think in Ontario, they’ve put a lot of trust in me to play in a lot of situations – power play, penalty kill, end of the game, whether we’re down a goal or up a goal – and I want to be out in those situations,” Connors said. “They’ve done a really good job of putting me in those situations and adding a bunch of different things to my tool box, for whenever the chance did come.”
That jack-of-all-trades label fits at a higher level than the AHL usually produces. Connors earned heavy trust as a rookie last season, and that trust has carried over and grown. The versatility should let him feel comfortable in whatever NHL role comes his way, which isn’t true of every call-up.
Ward’s Waiver Clock Pauses, Doesn’t Reset
Ward cleared waivers coming out of training camp, and because he has yet to be with the NHL club for 10 games or 30 days, he can be loaned directly to the AHL without clearing again. The fine print: Ward’s waiver clock does not reset, it pauses. If he earns another recall, his clock resumes where it left off, at eight games and 17 days. Ontario also plays Thursday against San Jose, so Ward is expected to skate for the Reign, which would make him immediately eligible for recall if the Kings want him.
The move is a hard one for Ward, who played well enough to stick around in many eyes. But with the club wanting another center and Fiala’s return approaching, the front office chose positional need over Ward’s wing production.
Slukynsky Heads to Greenville for Real Minutes
Slukynsky is unlikely to spend the rest of the season in the ECHL. The Kings could swap him and Carter George, potentially on a recurring basis, because expecting every goaltender to stay healthy all season is unrealistic. Greenville offers a heavy schedule: games Friday and Saturday this week, then Tuesday, Thursday and Friday next week. That gives Slukynsky a chance to log real minutes instead of playing every third game in a league that doesn’t always play three times per week, and come back sharper for it.
Laviolette Adjusts Line Combinations Amid Injuries
With Connors in the mix, Ward in Ontario, and Alex Turcotte skating with the main group for the first time since his injury, Laviolette called the forward group “a lot of bodies” to manage — 16 skaters, more than he’d like even with players at various recovery stages. The lines at practice ran:
- Panarin – Laferriere – Kempe
- Moore – Byfield – Perry
- Lee – Laughton – Chromiak
- Haula – Connors – Armia
- Zuccarello – Helenius – Fiala
On defense: Turcotte and Gustafsson, Clarke and Edmundson, Doughty and Anderson, Dumoulin and Ceci, with Kuemper and Forsberg in goal.
The best news of the day was defenseman Brandt Clarke back on the ice with the full group. Per Laviolette: “He’s all good. He’s been a bit of a magnet for it lately, but he’s a tough kid. It was good that it was nothing serious and he’s back.” Clarke had left Thursday’s game against Ottawa early with an upper-body injury after an illegal check from behind, and left Tuesday’s practice holding his face — Laviolette joked there’s been a target on him even in practice. Adrian Kempe also skated for a second straight day, a strong sign he’s past whatever cost him Saturday’s game against Buffalo.
What Thursday Against San Jose Means
Thursday night’s game against the Sharks is a measuring-stick contest in an unusual sense: the Kings want to win the games that put them back in the playoff conversation. If Tuesday’s practice is any indicator, Connors could get that look in his third career NHL game. Fiala worked in line drills the most, most routinely rotating with the Laughton line and at times with Mats Zuccarello; when he’s ready, the Kings don’t want to overload him with minutes, but he’s still Kevin Fiala.
Everything could shift in the next 24 hours and certainly before Saturday’s game against Pittsburgh, but the current alignment — Connors in the mix, Ward with Ontario, Slukynsky in Greenville, and Clarke, Kempe and Turcotte all back skating — gives Laviolette a lot of bodies to manage.
Disclaimer: The analytical insights and data provided in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or sports betting recommendations.
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