Kings place Arthur Kaliyev on waivers; Nick DeSimone claimed by Utah

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Kings placed forward Arthur Kaliyev on waivers, while the Utah Hockey Club claimed defenseman Nick DeSimone from the New Jersey Devils.

If Kaliyev clears on Monday, he could be assigned to the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Ontario Reign. The 23-year-old has already spent time with the Reign this season, as he was sent down to the Reign on a conditioning stint last month.

The former second-round pick missed the first two months of the season after suffering a broken clavicle in the final days of training camp and was projected to miss six to eight weeks. The injury came just days after he signed a one-year, $825,000 contract extension to stay in Los Angeles.

Kaliyev has played five games with the Reign, potting a goal and an assist. It was his first experience in the AHL since his rookie campaign in 2020-21. The Uzbekistan-born winger had spent the last three seasons solely in the NHL, scoring seven goals and 15 points in 51 games during the 2023-24 campaign, as Kaliyev was a healthy scratch for chunks of the season.

DeSimone was placed on waivers by the Devils on Saturday. He had been called up several times this season from New Jersey’s primary affiliate, the Utica Comets, but hasn’t scratched his name into the Devils’ lineup. The 30-year-old has appeared in 12 games with the Comets, registering three assists.

DeSimone hasn’t played in an NHL game since April of last year. He only played in 11 games for New Jersey in 2023-24 after appearing in 27 games for the Calgary Flames across the previous two seasons. He might see some playing time with a relatively young D-corps in Salt Lake City.

The Kings (23-10-5) are second in the Pacific Division, six points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first. Utah (17-15-7) is sixth in the Central Division, three points out of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.