A few years ago the Los Angeles Kings were en route to becoming contenders once again. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2012 and again in 2014, they began to decline as expected. What wasn’t expected, however, was how quickly the Kings turned their ship around. Their rebuild was surprisingly fast and just like that the Kings were once again a competitive team.
Using the word fast to describe how long it took the Kings to get back in the playoff mix is not an understatement. They took turns missing the playoffs and losing in Round 1 from 2014-15 to 2017-18 and they only missed the playoffs for three years after that, before returning to the postseason in 2022.
While it didn’t take long for the Kings to get back to being a playoff team, it seems like they have hit a roadblock. They have been stagnant for the past three seasons, unable to take that next step. Three straight seasons making the playoffs and three straight seasons being eliminated in the first round, somehow each time by the Edmonton Oilers.
Based on what this Kings roster looks like right now, there shouldn’t be any expectation that this is the year Los Angeles does take that next step. Realistically speaking, a playoff appearance is more than possible, but a deep run is not.
On that note, let’s take a look at what exactly the Kings are rolling with heading into the 2024-25 season.
Who’s In & Who’s Out
The Kings have undergone some changes throughout their roster. There have been more than a few additions and subtractions general manager (GM) Rob Blake has made throughout the offseason.
Subtractions
- F Pierre-Luc Dubois > WSH
- F Viktor Arvidsson > EDM
- D Matt Roy > WSH
- G Cam Talbot > DET
- F Blake Lizotte > PIT
- F Carl Grundstrom > SJS
Additions
- F Tanner Jeannot (acquired from Tampa Bay in exchange for a 2024 4th and a 2025 2nd)
- F Warren Foegele (signed a three-year deal in free agency)
- D Joel Edmundson (signed a four-year deal in free agency)
- D Kyle Burroughs (acquired from San Jose in exchange for Carl Grundstrom)
- G Darcy Kuemper (acquired from Washington in exchange for Pierre-Luc Dubois)
When you take a look at some of the players the Kings acquired to replace those subtractions, a slight downgrade would be the right way to describe it. I say slight downgrade because there are better individual players that the Kings lost, but because of what transpired during their time in Los Angeles, it doesn’t feel like the Kings are losing a whole lot. It’s common knowledge that Dubois’ time in LA wasn’t pretty. He was so non-existent that keeping him on the roster would have done more harm than good for the Kings. Arvidsson is another skilled forward who is no longer a King. He’s a point-producing winger that any team would love to have and is someone who has the ability to put up 60 points when he is healthy. The key phrase there is “when he is healthy” which is something he has struggled with for the majority of his NHL career. Arvidsson only played 18 games for the Kings last season so truthfully his departure doesn’t have that much of an impact.
Heading into the 2024-25 season, Blake has put forward an interesting group and one that could be full of surprises. While the Kings have slightly downgraded in terms of the players they acquired via trade or free agency, there is another aspect that will be more visible throughout the Kings’ roster this season and it’s the implementation of youth. They will have a few of their homegrown prospects ready to take that next step and possibly be the fuel LA needs to extend their playoff streak to four years. How well this team does this season will be heavily dependent on guys like Brandt Clarke, Akil Thomas, Alex Laferriere, Jordan Spence, Alex Turcotte and of course Quinton Byfield.
Kings’ Projected Forward Group
According to Daily Faceoff, these are the Kings’ projected line combinations:
Alex Laferriere – Anze Kopitar – Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala – Quinton Byfield – Arthur Kaliyev
Trevor Moore – Phillip Danault – Warren Foegele
Tanner Jeannot – Alex Turcotte – Akil Thomas
Even though these are projected lines, this is exactly how the Kings should line up their forward group to start the season.
Line 1 – Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe have been an unbreakable duo for a while now. They collected a combined 145 points last season. Those two are the heart and soul of the Kings’ offense. Laferriere is headed into his second NHL season, the 22-year-old had 12 goals and 23 points in 81 games last season. Making the jump to the NHL in your first season out of college is remarkable as a third-round pick and that’s exactly what Laferriere did. His ability to not only score but also play a heavy gritty game will complement that first line with Kopitar and Kempe really well. Expect his numbers to increase a significant amount this season playing on that first line.
Line 2 – Loving the idea of moving Byfield to the center position as opposed to the left wing where he played the majority of last season. With PLD out, moving Byfield to center allows the Kings to keep that center depth and you can pretty much guarantee, barring any unforeseen circumstances, that Byfield will be much more impactful. Kevin Fiala is a key piece to the Kings’ offensive production as well, finishing with the third most points out of any King last season with 73. Kaliyev had a rough season last year resulting in him being a healthy scratch a lot of the time. He’s currently an RFA, but if he does end up getting another shot, both Byfield and Fiala would be perfect linemates. There is a crazy amount of raw talent on this line and once the chemistry starts to build with these three, it’s going to be scary.
Line 3 – Trevor Moore and Warren Foegele are two ridiculously fast wingers and having a defensive-minded forward like Phillip Danault playing alongside them will give the duo the confidence to take more chances and use that speed. Moore is coming off a terrific breakout season where he led the entire Kings roster in goals with 31 and finished with 57 points. He will be heavily relied on to produce for this line. Foegele is pretty much the definition of a third-liner. Work ethic and speed are two things he takes pride in and coming from a team like the Oilers, the experience he has had over the past few seasons is something this Kings team will be welcoming with open arms.
Line 4 – This line is a total wildcard. Based on the individual players, it has the potential to be pretty good but these three have never played together before. Turcotte brings a bit of everything and is what most would describe as a complete two-way player. His numbers with the Ontario Reign over the past few seasons haven’t been anything special but as a former fifth-overall pick the potential is there. Signing Tanner Jeannot was an interesting one given his massive decline after his phenomenal rookie season but it was an important one that addresses a big need for the Kings. He brings in that heavy-hitting, power-forward type build and is the Kings’ only real sense of toughness. Thomas will get his chance at solidifying himself as a regular NHLer after spending four straight seasons developing with the Reign. He’s only played seven NHL games and in those seven games, he had three goals and four points.
LA has a pretty solid forward group. The offensive production and defensive awareness are there up and down all four lines. Depth-wise this group looks great but they don’t have that superstar or game changer. Byfield has the potential of being that type of player for the Kings in the future, but right now it’s a crucial part this franchise is missing.
Kings’ Projected Defensive Group
Mikey Anderson – Drew Doughty
Vladislav Gavrikov – Brandt Clarke
Joel Edmundson – Jordan Spence
Pairing 1 – Drew Doughty has been a staple on the Kings’ blue line for more than a decade and he and Mikey Anderson have been the Kings’ first pairing for a good amount of time now. Both of them are smart puck-moving defensemen and they can both be trusted in all situations. There isn’t much more to say other than the fact that this is the Kings’ most trustworthy pairing and they will be relied on to handle most of the opposition’s top lines.
Pairing 2 – Vladislav Gavrikov and Clarke are the perfect combination. Gavrikov is great at taking care of the defensive zone and providing that shutdown presence. It’s crucial that Gavrikov remains a stay-at-home defender in order to allow Clarke to fully embrace his offensive talent and join the rush as he pleases. Clarke is the future of the Kings’ defensive group and this year will just be the start.
Pairing 3 – Joel Edmundson is in the late stages of his career while Spence is in the early stages of his. A four-year deal is a lot for a 31-year-old defenseman but Edmundson has proven to be reliable throughout his NHL career and could be a good mentor for a young Spence. The speed Spence can play with and the vision he has to quarterback a breakout will pair nicely with an older, slower Edmundson. This pairing will clearly be the Kings’ weakest link and you can expect that head coach Jim Hiller will pay close attention to their matchups.
Kings’ Goaltending Tandem
Darcy Kuemper
David Rittich
The Kings have decided to roll with a Darcy Kuemper and David Rittich goaltending tandem. While Kuemper has more accolades than former starter Cam Talbot, performance levels from both of them over the past few seasons tell us that there really isn’t that much of a difference. Kuemper didn’t have that great of a season last year with the Capitals, finishing with a .890 save percentage (SV%) and a 3.31 goals-against average (GAA). It was the lowest SV% and the highest GAA Kuemper has ever finished with during his 12 years in the NHL. LA cannot afford to have that version of Kuemper show up if they hope to make the playoffs.
Related: Re-signing of Erik Portillo Is Huge for Kings’ Future
Rittich on the other hand has bounced around a lot but he has what it takes to be a reliable backup, and he proved that last season finishing with a .921 SV% and a 2.15 GAA through 24 games played. Limiting Rittich’s workload is crucial to how successful he can be and if Kuemper can fulfill his duties as this team’s starter there shouldn’t be any concern about having Rittich play 25-30 games.
Goaltending is where the Kings will have the most trouble, but looking at the roster as a whole there is no reason why this group cannot compete for a playoff spot, especially playing in the Pacific Division. There is a good enough mix of veteran presence and young talent throughout this lineup for the Kings to be a competitive team. If the youth perform and guys like Kopitar, Doughty, Kempe, Fiala, and Moore continue to be this group’s engine, they may even do better than expected.
