Kings assign Toffoli to Manchester of AHL

The Kings on Friday assigned forward Tyler Toffoli to Manchester (N.H.) of the American Hockey League. The Monarchs are on the bubble for a playoff berth in the AHL’s Eastern Conference, trailing the Connecticut Whale by two points before Friday’s games.

Toffoli, who will be 21 on Wednesday, had two goals and five points in eight games with the Kings. He also had a plus-3 defensive rating while averaging 11 minutes and 55 seconds’ ice time per game.

With Coach Darryl Sutter deciding to stick with unproductive veteran Dustin Penner instead of giving Toffoli a regular spot, it made sense for Toffoli’s development that he play more regularly.

Toffoli, a second-round pick by the Kings in the 2010 entry draft, recently was voted the AHL’s rookie
of the year for having scored 28 goals and 48 points in 55 games with the Monarchs before the Kings called him up. He also had a team-leading plus-20 rating with the Monarchs.

In other Kings-related news, the NHL has rescinded the match penalty assessed against Columbus’ Brandon Dubinsky on Thursday, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

The penalty was assessed after Dubinsky punched the Kings’ Drew Doughty as Doughty covered up and didn’t fight back. However, league officials apparently saw that Doughty had thrown the first punch and rescinded the penalty against Dubinsky.

The Kings did not practice on Friday. They will resume practice on Saturday in preparation for their game against the Dallas Stars at Staples Center on Sunday. The start time is unusual: 6 p.m.

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