The Los Angeles Kings have faced challenges in recent seasons, demonstrating potential as a long-surviving playoff team, but always seem to be experiencing setbacks at crucial moments. On paper, their roster seemed dominant for the 2023-24 season. In terms of scoring depth, the Kings got it. In terms of defense, the team was hit-or-miss. The playoffs gave a new but familiar look for the Kings, as they once again were a first-round exit against the Edmonton Oilers. They were high in the standings midway through the season, but the playoffs are, of course, a different animal. Their opponent, after all, went to the Stanley Cup Final.
At first, the team had the likes of Pheonix Copley and Cam Talbot manning the nets. But then Copley got hurt and had to be put on injured reserve for the remainder of the season, as David Rittich would step in. The Kings had two experienced veterans in between the pipes as their netminders for nearly the whole season. However, that seemed to have bitten them harder than they wanted. During the 2023-24 season, the Kings had experienced defensive depth in Drew Doughty, Matt Roy and Vladislav Gavrikov, with younger defenders being Jordan Spence and Mikey Anderson, and had the call-ups of Brandt Clarke and Tobias Björnfot.
Along with their offensive core standing out last season, with Adrian Kempe being their top player (28 goals, 47 assists, 75 points), joined by Kevin Fiala (29 goals, 44 assists, 73 points), Anze Kopitar (26 goals, 44 assists, 70 points), Trevor Moore (31 goals, 26 assists, 57 points), and Quinton Byfield (20 goals, 35 assists, 55 points). After 82 games played for the 2023-24 season, the Kings were 44-27-11 for 99 points with a .604 winning percentage and had 215 goals against and 256 goals for. As for their totality, they were third place in the Pacific Division, five points below the Oilers, and seventh overall in the Western Conference.
The Kings were met with odds that they simply couldn’t beat against the Oilers, as the story would repeat itself for a third time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Goaltending could’ve been younger, yes, but it was not the main issue that steamed the team away from a first-round advancement. The power forwards weren’t performing as they should have, with one exception being Kempe who outshined his fellow forwards by scoring four goals and adding one assist — two goals of which were scored in Game 4 at Edmonton.
Anderson and Doughty stood out as top defensemen with solid points tallied up, as Doughty had two goals and an assist, while Anderson had a goal and two assists. As for the goalies, Talbot played three games, winning just one of them, and recorded a 5.30 goals-against average (GAA) and a .861 save percentage (SV%), while Rittich played two games, losing both of them and recorded a 2.56 GAA and a .872 SV%. But for the first-round exit against the Oilers, the Kings’ poor defensive coverage, discipline from both defensive and offensive sides, and most of their best forwards not giving it their all to score against their rivals, doomed them. There was only so much two veteran goalies in their 30s could do against a red-hot and talented team like the Oilers. Because of the haunting, repeated history, the Kings have made significant moves in the building of their 2024-25 roster.
Offseason Roster Moves
David Rittich Extension
For the Kings’ first signing of the offseason, the team announced on May 15 that they extended David Rittich for another year for $1 million. He played 24 games (13-6-3) with a 2.15 GAA and .921 SV% for the Kings last season. He started the season with the Ontario Reign by playing 16 games and winning seven, and put up a 2.63 GAA and .901 SV%. The 31-year-old goaltender has accumulated eight seasons of experience in the NHL, participating in a total of 196 games (92-57-24).
Removal of PLD
Their first significant move was getting rid of Pierre-Luc Dubois, who had a contract for $8.5 million for eight years, or $68 million in total, and did not live up to that large paycheck, as he recorded just 16 goals and 24 assists last season. The Kings wanted more from PLD, because his 2022-23 production with the Winnipeg Jets was staggeringly higher than last season (27 goals and 36 assists in 73 games), but ultimately the center did not perform well enough to warrant paying over $8 million a year for him, as that amount of cap space could be used for other players – especially for those down in the minors who are eager to make the NHL roster full-time.
New Goalie
Another move that had to be made was the addition of a new goaltender. The trade of PLD to the Washington Capitals gave the team a Stanley Cup champion netminder, Darcy Kuemper. Previously, Kuemper’s performance with the Capitals was not robust due to injuries sustained last season. However, his skill and experience will undoubtedly enhance the Kings’ much-needed goaltending efficiency. If healthy, he is anticipated to tend alongside Rittich for the upcoming season. However, with the change of the goalie core, one concern that the Kings saw last season was Rittich and Talbot being over the age of 30, with Talbot being 37 and Rittich being 31. Despite Talbot being an NHL All-Star, his age certainly showed when the Kings needed additional support from their star goalie. There is a slight age difference between Kuemper and Talbot, however, with Kuemper being three years younger. Nevertheless, the presence of Copley on the roster introduces another factor to consider regarding the goaltending core.
Copley Gets Extended & George Signs ELC
Copley, 31, signed a one-year deal with the Kings back in July 2024. The contract comes after he tore his ACL at the beginning of the season, missing the remainder of it to recover. But in the 2022-23 season with the Kings, he put up a 2.64 GAA and a .903 SV% with 24 wins from 37 games played. He struggled in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Oilers, though, as he put up eight saves with a 4.26 GAA, and a .750 SV% from 28 minutes played in one game – his first playoff game in the NHL. For his eight games played last season, Copley won four of them, putting up a 3.16 GAA and .870 SV%.
Copley is due to be at training camp later this year. Although he may take the starting job over Rittich or Kuemper, it’s still likely he’ll play in Ontario. The same situation happened with Chris Driedger of the Seattle Kraken last season, as Joey Daccord outshone him in Coachella Valley during the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs and took over as a full-time goalie in the NHL – alternating between backup and primary with Philipp Grubauer. The Kings still have three goalies over the age of 30, but that doesn’t mean the prospects in the minors are older.
On July 25, the Kings signed prospect goaltender Carter George to a three-year entry-level contract. He was selected 57th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft after completing his second year in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The 18-year-old, who stands tall at 6-foot-1 and weighs over 195 pounds, posted a .907 SV% and 3.30 GAA, along with four shutouts last season. The young goaltender from Thunder Bay, Ontario also competed in the 2024 U18 IIHF World Junior Championship, finishing with a 2.33 GAA, .915 SV%, and a 6-0-0 record to win a gold medal for Team Canada. The future looks bright for this goaltender under the Kings’ organization.
Extension of Jordan Spence
For another addition to the defensive core, the Kings recently extended Jordan Spence for two years with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.5 million.
Spence played 71 games for the Kings last season, posting two goals and 22 assists, with a plus-5. For the short and unfortunate first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series, he played five games and recorded an assist. His professional career began in the AHL with the Reign, which he started on Oct. 16, 2021, and earned his first career point from an assist. His AHL reign during that season stretched to the near end of the league’s regular season on March 7 (earned two assists), and then got his first call-up to the NHL and played his first game on March 10, 2022, against the San Jose Sharks.
The young defenseman gained valuable experience at the NHL level, which further propelled his career. He played the remainder of the regular season with the Kings, appearing in 24 games and contributing two goals and six assists. Then he got the opportunity to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Oilers, as he appeared in just three games, recording no points with a minus-2.
Trade For Burroughs
The Kings traded Carl Grundstrom to the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Kyle Burroughs on June 27. Burroughs, 29, played 72 games for the Sharks last season, recording two goals and six assists. He’s played in the NHL for four seasons, playing a total of 168 games for three different teams (five goals, 14 assists, 19 points).
Addition of Edmundson
The team also signed Joel Edmundson for four years with an AAV of $3.85 million. Edmundson, 31, and 6-foot-5 from Brandon, Canada is a Stanley Cup champion with the 2019 St. Louis Blues. He was traded to the Maple Leafs last season from the Washington Capitals where he played nine games, after playing 44 games with the Capitals. He recorded a goal and five assists with the Capitals last season, with no points recorded with the Maple Leafs.
Addition of Jones
In addition, they signed Caleb Jones to a one-year, two-way contract worth a standard AAV of $775,000. Jones, 27 and 6-foot-1, is the younger brother of Blackhawks star defenseman Seth Jones. He has rotated around the NHL and AHL for the past four seasons with different teams. He is listed to play for the Reign this season, but that is due to change prior to the regular season.
The Recently Added Forwards
Extension of Quinton Byfield
One of the biggest signings so far this offseason has been the multi-year extension of Quinton Byfield. He had a tremendously successful 2023-24 season as a power forward. He played 80 games last season, tallying up 20 goals and 35 assists for 55 points, and was a plus-19. Compared to the season before last, Byfield only racked up three goals and 19 assists in 53 games. He significantly improved as a scorer in just a year, which forced the Kings to try and extend him with a much larger pay grade. On July 15, the Kings announced that they re-signed Byfield for five years for $31.5 million, with an AAV of $6.3 million.
I think we always came to the agreement that this is the best deal for both sides…When that time comes – hopefully that time never comes. I want to be an L.A. King for the rest of my life.
– Quinton Byfield on re-signing with the Kings (from ‘L.A. Kings mailbag: Quinton Byfield’s role, NHL Draft and prospects,’ The Athletic, 7/17/24)
Byfield served as a net-front, close-to-crease presence on the Kings’ first power play unit, as he scored six goals with 14 points on the power play. With his substantial pay increase for the next five years, Byfield must assume a larger presence this season. But judging by his performance last season, he has the opportunity to improve even more, potentially scoring more goals on and off the power play.
Trade for Jeannot
In late June, the Tampa Bay Lightning made some big but controversial moves. First, they traded Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club, and then on the same day, they also traded Tanner Jeannot to the Kings for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick. Jeannot did not work out as the Lightning had wanted, as the trade to get him from the Nashville Predators back in 2023 went down as one of the most controversial of all time. Unfortunately, he battled through injuries last season, and was hardly ever more than a fourth or third-line winger for the Lightning.
Last season, Jeannot only played 55 games and scored seven goals with seven assists. Compare that to the 2021-22 season with the Predators when he tallied up 24 goals and 17 assists. He simply didn’t fit into the Lightning’s complicated system, and his hefty contract of over $2.6 million weighed down the team’s already drained cap space. The 27-year-old winger has a spot with the Kings: He’s a big-body player who plays very physical, who isn’t afraid to drop the mitts when the team needs to send a message to its opponents, and has a solid shot release.
Extension of Akil Thomas
Akil Thomas quickly became a highly regarded prospect for the Kings, as the 24-year-old scored career highs in the AHL with 46 points (22 goals, 24 assists) in 64 games. He received his first NHL call-up on April 1, 2024, when he played against the Jets in Winnipeg. The speedy forward ended up playing seven games, earning three goals and one assist. He was a second-round pick during the 2018 NHL Draft and has played the last four seasons with the Reign, playing a total of 157 games and notching 93 points (46 goals, 47 assists).
During the 2023-24 season, Thomas served as an alternate captain, and for the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs, he played eight games (two goals, three assists) against three different teams — first round: Bakersfield; second round: Abbotsford; third round: Coachella Valley. In total, he’s scored seven goals and three assists in 13 games. On June 6, 2024, the Kings announced that they extended Thomas for two years with an AAV of $775,000.
Extension of Trevor Lewis
On July 1, following the extension of Copley, the Kings also added veteran forward Trevor Lewis on a one-year contract worth $800,000. Lewis, 37, 6 feet, and 203 pounds, is coming off his 13th season with the Kings. First playing during the 2008-09 season, he played only six games for the team, getting a taste of NHL hockey with a goal and two assists, before finishing up 75 games with the AHL Manchester Monarchs. He played three seasons with two different Canadian teams between 2020–23, first with the Jets and the last two with the Calgary Flames, before going back to the Kings.
Last season, Lewis was a heavy PK contributor for the Kings, as he played a full season with eight goals and eight assists notched up. He also played all five games in the playoffs against the Oilers, earning no points and had only 10:36 of ice time per game. Although Lewis is an older player in the league, his experience in not just the NHL but also with the Kings will help his team this season, and he will likely still be a major PK contributor.
Addition of Warren Foegele
For another July 1 announcement, the Kings announced a huge player signing of Warren Foegele. Foegele, a former rival player with the Oilers, earned a career-high in points (41) from 20 goals and 21 assists last season. The 28-year-old played three seasons for the Oilers, accumulating 95 points (45 goals, 50 assists) from 2021-24. He’s been around the NHL for a long time, as he’s played seven seasons for two different teams (four seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes from 2017-21). For his career, he’s played a total of 431 games and has recorded 163 points (80 goals, 83 assists). During the Oilers 2024 playoff run, he played 22 games and scored three goals and five assists for eight points.
Addition of Jeff Malott
In another free agent signing, the Kings signed 28-year-old Burlington, Ontario native Jeff Malott to a two-year contract worth an AAV of $775,000. He has played the last three seasons in the AHL for the Manitoba Moose. Last season he played in 70 games, recording 22 goals and 30 assists. During the 2021-22 season, he played in one game for the Jets, recording no points. He is listed as a Reign player, but upon training camp being completed, that could change.
Subtracted Players
The Kings’ subtracted players from the 2023-24 season include Cam Talbot (Detroit Red Wings), Pierre-Luc Dubois (Capitals), Carl Grundstrom (San Jose Sharks), Viktor Arvidson (Oilers), Matt Roy (Capitals), Tobias Björnfot (Florida Panthers), Jaret Anderson-Dolat (Jets), and Blake Lizotte (Pittsburgh Penguins).
So far, the Kings have made significant roster moves from goalies, defensemen, forwards, and trades. But there’s still time left until training camp and the regular season starts where general manager Rob Blake can make even more changes to his final 2024-25 season roster.
