The wait is finally over and we are just one day from the Los Angeles Kings’ first regular season game of the 2024-25 season. The Kings will head east to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Thursday, Oct. 10.
The Kings’ preseason came to a close on Saturday as they played their second and final game in Quebec City, falling to the Florida Panthers 4-2. That was the only regulation loss the Kings suffered in the preseason as they finished with a 4-1-1 record. While the preseason is largely irrelevant and has no impact, it gives us a good first impression of how the team looks, what we are seeing from certain players, and some insight into what’s to come.
Let’s take a look at some things that stuck out throughout the Kings’ preseason.
Related Link: Doughty Injury Opens Up Opportunities for Multiple Kings Defensemen
Byfield Looks Dialled In
One of the biggest questions heading into this season was how big of a step Quinton Byfield could take, now with the opportunity to return to his natural position at center. He was easily the best player on the ice when he played during the preseason. Just through the “eye test” it was clear Byfield put in tons of work during the offseason. His explosiveness, speed, and power along with that big frame he holds allowed him the ability to gain the offensive zone off the rush with virtually no difficulty; to be able to attack the blue line with that kind of speed and confidence is something that is going to play a huge part in his line creating scoring chances if he continues that throughout the regular season.
Byfield has been dialled all preseason. All signs are pointing to a monster year from him. #GoKingsGo
— Raz Devraj (@razdevraj) October 4, 2024
Byfield centered a line with Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala on his wings and with the success and chemistry they had, it looks to be a line that will stick together come Thursday.
“It’s been really good […] just kind of going through camp and preseason we have kind of just been gelling and hanging out with each other off the ice as well so it definitely helps, but we feel good and hopefully it just keeps going forward,” Byfield said.
Alex Laferriere Looks More Confident
Alex Laferriere was a third-round Kings pick and immediately cracked the Kings’ roster in his first season out of college. What he accomplished last season is not something players accomplish very often, let alone a third-round pick with four American Hockey League games to his name.
Throughout this preseason, Laferriere had an extra jump in his step and the increase in confidence with the puck was noticeable. Playing on a line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, as he’s projected to do, is only going to boost that confidence and allow him to morph into the creative power forward he has been known to be.
“Last year I still wasn’t really sure of what was going on and still just trying to prove myself and everything, and now I think my role’s a lot different and now I’m forced to contribute and I’m in a position where I need to do well and score goals and make plays,” Laferriere said. “Playing with Juice and Kopi, I know they are going to find me in open space, so I just gotta be ready to bury it.”
Laferriere is also projected to get power play time on that first unit, and one thing that was nice to see over the preseason was how much better his shot has gotten. People are skeptical of his ability to play on the power play, but based on what he showed during the preseason, he deserves the chance.
Alex Turcotte Is Ready To Go
Confidence and readiness to play in the NHL seem to be a common theme with the young Kings players and honestly, that’s exactly the type of mentality the team is going to need from their young guns if they want to taste postseason action again.
Alex Turcotte went out there during preseason and showed he was ready. He created plays, held on to the puck long enough to make the right decision, and didn’t shy away from absorbing contact if it meant he was able to finish a play. His two-way game down the middle and hockey IQ were another two things that stood out.
Joel Edmundson Is Just Fine
The first thing that comes to mind when you put Joel Edmundson and the Kings in the same sentence is “bad contract.” While the term and the annual salary are a bit high for a third-pairing defenseman, he’s still a very capable one who can be that stay-at-home player, allow Brandt Clarke to explore his offensive talents, and distribute the puck up the ice, and we saw that during the preseason. There wasn’t anything about Edmundon’s performances that raised any concern. He was a solid presence in the defensive zone and was great at breaking up plays as well as keeping plays alive in the offensive zone.
Andre Lee Proved Himself
The seventh-round monster of a winger Andre Lee did a tremendous job of standing out in training camp and preseason. There was a spot to be earned and he went out and did everything he could to earn it. Lee showed some sparks of offensive upside by using his big body to power through down the wing and get a few good looks at the net, but what really stood out was his determination to finish checks, forecheck hard, and stick up for teammates. He played a game that fits exactly what head coach Jim Hiller is trying to instil in his group. That “physicality” and “not-being-pushed-around” type of mentality that has been talked about all training camp long is emulated in the way Lee plays; it’s what ultimately allowed him to earn a shot on that fourth line.
Jeffrey Viel goes to lay a hit on Alex Turcotte and draws the ire of Andre Lee, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Kyle Burroughs pic.twitter.com/kQLu67J424
— Bear With Me (@BearWithMe_Pod) October 3, 2024
It’s important to note that Lee was sent down to the Ontario Reign but only because the Kings needed to be cap compliant. Now that Drew Doughty has been moved from injured reserve to long-term injured reserve, Lee has been called up and you can expect him to be in the lineup against the Sabres.
Aggressive Penalty Kill Saw Success
Aside from individual players standing out in their own way, as a unit, the Kings’ penalty kill has shifted in terms of structure from last season. The Kings are looking to be more aggressive up high, forcing other team’s personnel on the blue line to act quicker, cause mistakes, and generate more chances the other way. That aggressiveness and pressure paid off during the preseason as Kempe and Kopitar had multiple odd-man rushes shorthanded and even capitalized on a couple of them.
“We just switched over to this style so there’s going to be some growing pains at the start […] When we are on the power play, we hate when teams do that against us so if we can do that to other teams and kind of expose them, get more chances on the penalty kill, it’s exciting and it’s been fun so far,” said Byfield.
There were quite a few positives to come out of preseason and the Kings will hope that it translates moving forward.
