We are just days away from opening night, which will see the Los Angeles Kings take on the star-studded Colorado Avalanche for their home opener at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings have two preseason games left, which means it’s coming down to the wire to decide who will be making this roster. That being said, it’s time to talk about who could lead the team in different stat categories.
Last year was the first time I did these predictions, and they didn’t go as well as I would have liked. Drew Doughty being injured for most of the season and a rough/unlucky offensive season from Trevor Moore messed a few of them up. I ended up going 4/10 and had Anze Kopitar leading in assists (I was perfect on that one with 46), Kevin Fiala with the most power-play goals, and Tanner Jeannot leading in both hits and penalty minutes. The goal for this season’s stats predictions is simple: do better than last year.
Who Could Lead in Points?
For the past two seasons, Adrian Kempe has led the Kings in points, and I don’t see anything changing this season. Easily regarded as their best forward, he is the heart and soul of an offense that doesn’t win games because of their offensive output. He finished with 73 points last season, which was two fewer than the season before (career high). It’s important to note that he is heading into a contract year, and that almost always has a significant impact on not only production but a player’s impact in general. He is a driving force, and he’s not slowing down in a season where he’s playing for a raise. A big season is expected from him, and he is the clear choice when predicting who could finish with the most points.
If, for whatever reason, it isn’t Kempe who does end up finishing with the most points, I’d be severely shocked if it isn’t one of Fiala, Kopitar, or Quinton Byfield. The Kings have multiple highly-skilled forwards who can put up points, and any of these players is capable of putting up 65-plus.
Who Could Lead in Goals?
Scoring goals hasn’t been an area of expertise for the Kings for a long time, but it did take a step forward last season with two players scoring 30-plus goals for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Yes, it’s really been that long since the Kings had more than one player who was capable of scoring more than 30 goals in a single season.
Realistically, Kempe would be one of the favorites to lead the Kings in goals this season (especially in a contract year), as he did back in 2022-23. Moore could also have a bounce-back season and find his goal-scoring touch again, like he did during the 2023-24 season, potting 31 goals. But I’m going with Fiala, who tallied 35 goals last season and was tied for first with Kempe. Most likely to be situated on a line with a more comfortable and confident Byfield, who should be taking that next step this season, Fiala has got the perfect opportunity to fill the net. They were great together last season, especially during the second half, and now that not only have they built some chemistry together, but Byfield has had time to adjust back at center, I’d be surprised if this duo doesn’t light it up this season.
Fiala also has a knack for finding the net on the power play. He led the Kings in power-play goals last season with 26, and I expect him to lead again. It’s almost like the Kings’ power play is set up to hit Fiala near that right circle, because when they execute that pass across, he rarely misses the target. So many of his goals were scored from that area of the ice on the power play, and now, with a full season with Andrei Kuzmenko and the potential return of the five-forward first power play unit, the Kings’ power play is going to be way more dynamic, and that’s undoubtedly going to aid Fiala in his goal-scoring abilities.
Who Could Lead in Assists?
For me, there are only two clear choices for who could lead the Kings in assists, and it’s the two centermen playing with the top two goal-scorers on this team, Kopitar and Byfield.
This season, I’m going with Byfield because I truly believe that this is the season he becomes way more impactful, consistent, and dangerous as he gets ready to be the Kings’ number one center after Kopitar retires at the end of the season. Byfield can create and score, but he has always finished with more assists than goals. His playmaking and creativity should take a step forward this season, and having a finisher like Fiala by his side is going to make those attributes show up on the stat sheet.
While I think Byfield has the best shot to collect the most apples, you can bet Kopitar wants to go out with a bang in his final season, and his point production will be propelled by playing with both Kempe and Kuzmenko.
Who Could Lead in Points by a Defenseman?
The Kings are light in offensive defensemen, and really, the only two players who have a chance at leading in points by a defenseman are Drew Doughty and Brandt Clarke. Since the 2012-13 season, Doughty has led all Kings defenseman in points in a single season, except last season. He finished with 50 points during the 2023-24 season, but with him being sidelined for a majority of last season, Clarke stepped up and ended up accomplishing that feat, leading the Kings’ defensemen with 33 points.
Related: Raz’s 2025-26 Standings Predictions: Pacific Division
It’s really a toss-up at this stage because it all depends on who has what role and how much ice-time Clarke is going to get. When he’s on the ice and free to play his game, he’s a dangerous player who can create offense from the back end out of thin air. Is Clarke going to get that opportunity? Is he going to see any power-play time? These are all questions that decide if Clarke will have the best chance to produce the way most know he can.
Clarke is reportedly going to be given a larger role and more of a chance to play and do what he does best. If that ends up being the case, then I don’t see how he doesn’t end up with the most points. If he’s given a role on the power play, that will be his time to shine. However, if that’s not the case or things change throughout the season, Doughty, who is more than capable of making an impact when fully healthy, will be there to take the cake.
Kings’ Stat Leader Predictions
Taking all of that into account, and really thinking about who can take next steps, who will have bigger roles, or who might regress, here are my predictions for which players will lead the Kings in different stats for the 2025-26 season.
- Points – Adrian Kempe (81)
- Goals – Kevin Fiala (38)
- Assists – Quinton Byfield (43)
- Power-Play Goals – Kevin Fiala (26)
- Shots on Goal – Kevin Fiala (252)
- Defensemen Points – Brandt Clarke (40)
- Hits – Alex Laferriere (118)
- Blocked Shots – Cody Ceci (144)
- Penalty Minutes – Corey Perry (54)
- Plus/Minus – Phillip Danault (plus-22)
Kempe, Kopitar, Fiala, and Byfield have control of the offense, but aside from that, there are other players who I have leading in other ways. Alex Laferriere had 124 hits last season and isn’t afraid to lay the body when forechecking hard in the corners. Only Samuel Helenius and Jeannot had more hits than Laferriere last season, both of whom will most likely not be on the roster (Jeannot is a Boston Bruin, and Helenius is a couple of spots down the depth chart).
Anderson finished with the second most blocks with 124, behind Vladislav Gavrikov, who is no longer a member of the Kings, but if there’s one thing Ceci is phenomenal at, it’s getting in shooting lanes. He had 155 blocks last season and is the clear favorite heading into this season. Who else is going to lead the Kings in penalty minutes other than Perry? Even with starting the season out with an injury, you can bet Perry’s pesky, “get under your skin” type of play is going to land him in the box more than a few times once he’s back.
The Kings have a bit of everything, and there are enough players capable of leading in different categories that I think the final stats could not only be very interesting but different from what I predicted.
