The first hurdle for the Los Angeles Kings is to advance past the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. For three consecutive seasons, Los Angeles has fallen victim to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The discrepancy in the teams is the Kings' lack of scoring, which the Oilers' stars exploit every postseason. The Kings corrected it somewhat with the line of Adrian Kempe, Anze Kopitar, and Quinton Byfield last season. However, the Kings need other breakout candidates to emerge in 2024-25.
The Kings also need better goaltending to compete in the high-scoring Western Conference. They dropped the mistake of a Pierre-Luc Dubois contract this offseason to acquire Darcy Kuemper from the Washington Capitals. The Kings hope he can regain his form that won the Colorado Avalanche a Stanley Cup in 2022.
They'll also be dealing with the loss of Matt Roy to the Capitals. They hope Brandt Clarke can help fill that void, but they have Joel Edmundson brought in on an expensive deal to assist. Regardless, a group of young forwards could be the difference between the Kings becoming contenders or pretenders.
Quinton Byfield has another level to reach
The Kings loved the line of Byfield, Kempe, and Kopitar last season. Their vision of Byfield's future with the team was for him to lead a line, so they moved Byfield midway through the season to find another fit. It ended with Byfield spending time on the fourth line, which many questioned their former head coach for doing.
The Kings returned him to the top line for the end of the season and playoffs, which led to four points in five postseason games. He also recorded 55 points in 80 regular season games. You may wonder how Byfield can have a breakout season after putting up that kind of stat line in 2023-24. However, he's capable of growing even more as a scoring forward.
Don't let Byfield's size fool you, he has plenty of skill. He recorded 82 points in 45 games in his final season in the Ontario Hockey League, and could easily find himself at a point-per-game pace in the NHL. The Kings should embrace the productivity of the first line from last season and put them together for an entire season. It may shock them for Byfield to have a career year where he explodes for 80+ points if he can remain healthy.
The Kings are done waiting for Alex Turcotte
It isn't Alex Turcotte's fault that the beginning of his professional career has been rocky. Turcotte battled multiple lower-body injuries, concussions, and appendicitis to play games over the past few seasons. He played 35 games in the American Hockey League last season, recording 29 points in 35 games. The stats with the Ontario Reign show promise that he can contribute to the Kings. However, he had just four points in 20 games last season.
Turcotte's numbers at the NHL level last season extended his career totals to one goal and three assists in 32 games. He has been a point-per-game player at almost every level except the pros, so the Kings continue to hope he can figure it out and become a dynamic offensive player.
Time isn't running out on Turcotte's career as he's only 23. The problem is that the Kings are starving for offensive talent, and he keeps disappointing the front office in multiple opportunities. His professional career may not be in jeopardy, but his time with the Kings could soon end if he can't break out in 2024-25.
Alex Laferriere is a darkhorse breakout candidate
Alex Laferriere isn't a well-known name outside of Los Angeles, which isn't surprising considering he was an unheralded rookie in 2023-24. The former Harvard attendee left school after two seasons to sign with the Kings and played 81 games with the organization in 2023-24.
Laferriere needs to be given time to adjust after leaving school early. It's promising that the Kings trusted him to play in all but one game in his first professional season, as most collegiate players spend their first season in the minors.
Laferriere posted an impressive 23 points in 81 games last season and wasn't afraid to mix it up and get to the dirty areas. It was a welcome addition for a Kings team that always relied on that style but had lost their identity over the last few seasons.
He isn't a typical power forward, standing at just 6-foot-1. However, he showed scoring touch at Harvard with 73 points in 69 games and has plenty of room to grow with the Kings. Los Angeles needs players to step up if they load up their successful first line from last season, and Laferriere could be a player that no one expects.
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