Kings loan Kaleb Lawrence to Rochester, Reign acquire Nikita Novikov

The Los Angeles Kings have loaned forward Kaleb Lawrence to the AHL’s Rochester Americans and the Buffalo Sabres have loaned defense prospect Nikita Novikov to the Ontario Reign, team releases and media reports published March 9, 2026 said. The moves are loans between AHL affiliates, not NHL trades, and the players’ NHL rights remain with the Kings and Sabres respectively.

Lawrence, 23, is a 6-foot-6, 225-pound winger out of Ottawa, Ontario who was selected by Los Angeles in the seventh round of the 2022 NHL Draft, 215th overall. The Reign reported he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Kings on May 24, 2024. Ontario’s release lists Lawrence as having tallied three assists in 16 games with the Reign in the most recent snapshot; Buffalo Hockey Beat reports a broader season view of 41 AHL games with Ontario, six goals and 11 points, 51 penalty minutes and a minus-1 rating, plus nine points (7G, 9A) in 27 games with the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Lawrence’s OHL background is substantial: he logged parts of five seasons from 2019-24 with Owen Sound, Ottawa and London, compiling 82 points, including 41 goals, in 149 OHL games and helping London to the OHL Championship in 2024.

Novikov, 22, is a 6-foot-3, 196-pound Russian defenseman drafted by Buffalo in the sixth round in 2021, 188th overall. The Sabres signed him to a three-year entry-level contract on May 19, 2023. Ontario’s release and AHL tallies show Novikov has skated in 183 AHL games with Rochester and collected 61 points, 15 goals and 46 assists in that span. This season he has 18 points in 50 games, split 6 goals and 12 assists; Buffalo Hockey Beat adds 44 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating for the year. Novikov’s path included two KHL seasons with Dynamo Moskva from 2021-23, where he registered nine points in 94 games before moving to North America.

The mechanics matter. These are loans, not trades, meaning NHL rights did not move with the players. ProHockeyRumors noted the procedural consequence in plain terms: "By simply loaning them outside the organization, Lawrence technically remains eligible to be recalled back to the Kings’ roster to play this season, and Novikov could still be added to the Sabres’ roster. Recalls for either are unlikely, though." Novikov is described as a pending restricted free agent when his entry-level deal expires, while Lawrence’s deal still has at least one year remaining, a distinction that affects how NHL clubs can swap rights in the offseason.

Both players remain eligible to compete in the Calder Cup Playoffs for their new AHL clubs should Rochester or Ontario qualify. The corresponding nature of the assignments gives the Amerks and Reign immediate roster options down the stretch: Rochester adds a 6-foot-6 forward with recent AHL and ECHL seasoning, Ontario receives a 6-foot-3, right-shot defenseman with 183 AHL games of pro experience. Teams and beat outlets reported the moves March 9, 2026; any formal transfer of NHL rights would require a trade or other transaction after the season.