Special teams consistently change the dynamic of games and significantly impact the success of teams. For the Los Angeles Kings, last season, the success of their special teams was bittersweet. Their penalty kill was a strength, and for a team that was defensively focused throughout the entire lineup, that was expected. Their aggressive mentality, while a man down, propelled them to have the eighth-best penalty kill when it was all said and done, operating at 81.4%.
The same couldn’t be said for the Kings’ power play, which struggled immensely, especially during the first half of the season. Despite drawing a lot of penalties, which allowed for a total of 207 power-play opportunities, the Kings rarely took advantage. They finished last season with a power play percentage of 17.9% which ranked the sixth-worst.
The Kings didn’t have the perfect setup on the power play, and part of that was because they didn’t have a right-shot forward who had experience playing on the left flank. It was a combination of not having the right pieces, completely choking on prime opportunities, poor puck movement, and the inability to find clean looks toward the net.
As the season went on, the power play continued to get worse until March hit, when something changed. The Kings acquired Andrei Kuzmenko at the trade deadline and finally had a forward who was known for his craftiness and ability to be a threat on the man advantage. He was thrown onto the first power play unit right off the bat, and with the Kings having that additional element, the power play saw a major improvement. From operating at just 10% in February and never reaching a percentage higher than 17.6, it was clicking at 23.7% in March, and got even better in April at 24.2%. Throughout the first round of the playoffs, it was their special teams that made the most impact, especially early on when both the power play and penalty kill were rolling.
As we know, Kuzmenko will be returning to the lineup this season in hopes that he brings everything he displayed throughout those 28 games with the Kings last season and much more. Now with a level of familiarity and comfort, the impact Kuzmenko can make on the power play should not only come right away, but continue to get greater as the season unfolds.
Aside from Kuzmenko, there are more reasons as to why the Kings’ power play has the potential to be much better than it was last season, and a lot of it has to do with the personnel they have and some internal growth and opportunity that should help make a difference.
One of the moves the Kings made this offseason was signing Corey Perry to a one-year deal worth $2 million. Now, usually a player at Perry’s stage of his career doesn’t scream difference maker, but if there’s one area where he has continued to thrive, it’s in front of the net. A place where there will be a lot more room on the power play for him to not only be a pest, but also put away loose change. He had 30 points last season with the Edmonton Oilers, with only seven of them coming on the power play. That being said, it’s important to note how strong of a power play the Oilers have and the personnel throughout their first unit, which almost always stays on the ice for the entire two minutes.
There were times when Perry was featured on that top unit, especially during the playoffs with Zach Hyman out with injury, and he made the most of it, collecting seven of the 14 points he tallied during the playoffs on the man advantage. Whether he plays on the first or second unit for the Kings, his net-front presence, scrappiness, and ability to be in the right place at the right time in front of the net will undoubtedly make a positive impact on the Kings’ power play.
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The other big piece of the Kings’ power play heading into 2025-26 will be Brandt Clarke, who will supposedly be given a larger role and more of an opportunity to play his game and impact the game in ways no other Kings defenseman can. Part of that bigger role should equal quarterbacking the first power play unit. Having him create space and make plays on the blue line will play a massive part in the power play because it’s a place where an offensive defenseman like Clarke thrives. His ability to feed pucks through and around the offensive zone and use his skating and edge work to create space up top is something only a few players can do.
With the opportunity to lead the power play from the backend and be put in a situation where that skill we have seen can shine, the Kings’ power play becomes more of a threat. The first step is giving Clarke the opportunity to play and be the number one defenseman on the power play, because there’s nobody else who can do what he has the potential to, but the next step is letting him make the mistakes and learn from them because only then will he have the best chance at growing into that X-factor we all know he can be. With Jordan Spence gone, Clarke is the Kings’ only true offensive defenseman, and aside from Drew Doughty, there’s no one else who is worthy enough of leading a power play group that will be looked at to produce a lot more than they did last season. Clarke will be looked at as “the guy” for many years ahead, and it’s about time he’s given the reins to morph into that guy.
Speaking of taking the reins, Quinton Byfield could take Anze Kopitar’s place and center the first power play unit. With Kopitar about to play in what looks to be his final season in the NHL, it won’t be long before Byfield is expected to carry the on-ice duties as the Kings’ number one center. Byfield bounced between the first and second power play units last season and had three goals and seven points on the man advantage, half of what he produced the season before. Production in general was something he struggled with for the first half of last season, so it’s no surprise his power play production was low. After a season of being back at his natural position of center, he is expected to take that big leap forward.
Regardless of whether or not Byfield is on the first unit or the second unit, he will undoubtedly be a big piece of the power play’s success. It’s his explosiveness and bursts of speed that make him such a threat on the man advantage. His speed and size allow him to gain the zone with ease a lot of the time, which is half the battle when trying to capitalize on the power play. Byfield is like a unicorn because of his ability to do so many different things; he can score, create, distribute, and defend, and because of the many skills he possesses, he automatically becomes a crucial part of the Kings’ power play.
What Should the Kings’ Power-Play Units Look Like?
If I were to create the Kings’ power-play units, this is how I would have them line up to start the season. Load up the first unit, hoping they get the job done a majority of the time, and have a pretty decent second unit to fall back on as well.
PP1 – Byfield, Kempe, Fiala, Kuzmenko, Clarke
PP2 – Kopitar, Perry, Moore, Laferriere, Doughty
The Kings have a bunch of different elements through multiple players that could forge a path toward a very dominant power play. The speed to gain the zone is there, the elusive, playmaking offensive defenseman is there, the net front presence is there, the right shot scoring forward is there, and the finishing ability with Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe, as we saw a bunch last season, is there as well. The pieces are in place; all they have to do is make it count on the ice.
