Kings recall former first-round pick in wake of injury to top-four defenseman

The Los Angeles Kings have recalled defenseman Tobias Björnfot from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. This news comes just a day after Kings top-four defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov was lost to a lower-body injury on a week-to-week basis.

The Kings gave a look at how their Gavrikov-less defense would look in Wednesday's win over the Winnipeg Jets, with Jacob Moverare and Andreas Englund occupying the two left-side slots behind first-pairing defenseman Mikey Anderson. With this recall, Björnfot slots in as the club’s seventh defenseman, another left-shot blueliner for head coach Todd McLellan to choose from as he constructs his lineups.

A 2019 first-round pick, Björnfot’s role within the Kings’ overall defensive depth chart has declined over the past two years. After seemingly establishing himself in the NHL in 2021-22 by playing in 70 games for the Kings, Björnfot spent most of 2022-23 in the AHL. He played just 10 NHL games last season, and this year has played in just one NHL game.

A defense-first blueliner, Björnfot is a relatively safe option for the Kings in their seventh-defenseman role. The team has lost back-to-back games, though, so with Gavrikov out on an extended basis one wonders if the Kings might look more seriously at acquiring outside help to strengthen their blueline.

If Moverare, Englund and Björnfot are unable to fill the significant void left by Gavrikov, who plays nearly 20 minutes per night and is a regular penalty killer, it’s possible the Kings could look for the right trade fit to bolster their defense.