After a very brief re-tool, the Los Angeles Kings have asserted themselves as a regular playoff team once again. With some exciting young players plus a few veterans like Anze Kopitar still performing at a high level, the Kings are an exciting team for both the present and future.

In each of the past two years, L.A. has finished third in the Pacific Division with around 100 points. However, the Kings have lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the NHL playoffs on both occasions. Getting back to the playoffs consistently is a good start for the Kings, but they have much greater ambitions in mind.

There's a lot to like with L.A.'s roster, but there are also some big question marks. Without further ado, here is the biggest roster concern for the Kings deep into NHL free agency.

Kings' biggest roster concern deep into 2023 NHL free agency

Uncertainty in Net

It should go without saying, but having consistent goaltending is pretty important in hockey. It's very simple: If your goalie can't make the necessary saves, then it's exceedingly difficult to win.

Early on last season, the Kings struggled mightily in net. Jonathan Quick, likely the best goalie in franchise history, fell off hard in his age-37 season, posting his worst numbers since his NHL debut and getting traded at the deadline. Cal Petersen had a brutal last two years after a hot start to his career, and he was also traded this offseason.

However, two key players kept L.A. afloat in net last season. The first was Phoenix Copley, a 31-year-old journeyman who came out of nowhere to post a .903 save percentage and 2.64 goals against average in 35 starts. The second was Joonas Korpisalo, whom the Kings acquired at the trade deadline and proceeded to post a .921 save percentage and a 2.13 goals against average in 11 starts.

The Kings' goalie situation looked much better after the trade deadline, but heading into this season, the questions have come back in full force. Korpisalo's time in L.A. ended up being very brief, as he signed a five-year contract with the Ottawa Senators in free agency. Now, L.A.'s main stabilizing force in net is no longer there. It also seems risky to bet on Copley replicating last year's production, seeing how its an outlier in his career and he's on the wrong side of 30.

Korpisalo's contract with Ottawa is huge, and it's reasonable that L.A. couldn't/didn't want to match it. However, the Kings didn't do enough to sufficiently replace that production. They signed Cam Talbot, a 36-year-old journeyman who is coming off a subpar season (in Ottawa, ironically). They also signed David Rittich, who, say it with me, is a journeyman in his 30s who is coming off a mediocre season.

By now you're surely noticing a pattern here. Every option the Kings have in net is 30 or older and has bounced around the league throughout their careers. For a team that fancies itself a contender, the question marks in net are a glaring issue.

In fairness, not having a true No. 1 goalie isn't the end of the world. The Kings are a sound defensive team, which helps mask deficiencies between the pipes. Furthermore, we just saw the Vegas Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup with a rotation of goalies, so it's possible to find success with this limitation.

More often than not, though, goaltending can be the difference between success and failure in the NHL. The Kings should still easily be a playoff team this season, but their question marks in net are a big hurdle to overcome.