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The Los Angeles Kings have high hopes of building a powerful team and having a deep playoff run this season.
The Kings surged in the final 21 games of the regular season with a 14-5-2 mark and finished third in the Pacific Division. They drew a first-round matchup with the Edmonton Oilers and pushed hard, but they fell in that series in 6 games.
A first-round defeat will not suffice in 2023-24. There are indications that the Kings can be a high-scoring team and a major threat this year, as they have recorded 5-1 and 7-3 road wins over Winnipeg and Minnesota, and they will try to chase down the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights this season.
Kings have mainstays
The Kings are led by Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe on their top line. Kopitar is a future Hall of Famer who has been one of the NHL's best all-around forwards throughout his 18-year career with the Kings. He is a 2-time Stanley Cup champion, a 2-time Lady Byng winner and a 2-time Selke winner. Through the first 4 games of the season, the 36-year-old Kopitar has 2 goals and 3 assists and appears to be on his way to another remarkable season.
Kempe, 27, is approaching the prime of his career and there is little doubt that he has become a game-changing player. He has scored 35 and 41 goals the past two seasons respectively, and it's clear that the Kings expect him to score 40-plus goals again this season.
However, if the Kings are going to challenge the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights in the regular season and make a deep run in the playoffs, they are going to need breakout performers.
Three of the players likely to fill those roles include Trevor Moore, Arthur Kaliyev and Alex Laferriere.
Trevor Moore off to a great start
Moore and the Kings agreed to a five-year extension worth $21 million in 2022. Moore has had relatively modest offensive production since then, but he did have a solid season in 2021-22 when the scored 17 goals and 48 points.
However he could not sustain that as his production fell to 10 goals and 29 points in 59 games last year, as he was troubled by multiple injuries.
A much better performance in 2023-24 appears to be on tap. It starts because he is a three-zone player who works hard in every area on the ice.
Moore had a career-worst 6.13% shooting percentage this past season, and there is every reason to think he can improve on that numbers since his career mark was 10.12% going into the this season.
Moore led the Kings in 5-on-5 shots on goals per-60 last year. He is a player who can drive the team on nearly an every-game basis.
Arthur Kaliyev impressing
Kaliyev was a second-round draft choice in 2022, and that's something that sticks in his head. The 22-year-old believes he should have been a first-round draft pick, and he is motivated to prove wrong every team that passed on him.
Despite that motivation, Kaliyev has yet to prove he is a big-time, productive player. He has certainly shown flashes of what he can do, as he scored 14 goals and 27 points in 2021-22 and he followed that with 13 goals and 28 points last year.
It's time for Kaliyev to break through the 20-goal and 40-point mark. He looks faster and sharper this year and he also wants to show that he can emulate Kopitar and become a three-zone player.
Kaliyev knows it's not just about sniping and scoring when he gets the opportunity. He has to show he can limit opponents and ruin their offensive opportunities with solid defensive play.
Alex Laferriere has great vision
The soon-to-be 22-year-old is at the start of his career this season, and the belief is that Laferriere has a brilliant hockey IQ. That's no surprise considering he played his college hockey at Harvard, and he does an excellent job of anticipating the next play and putting himself in the right position.
Laferriere is a dangerous player off the rush. Once he gains the line, he is able to create room for himself. He is a true dual-threat scorer and he is able to play a power game.
Laferriere was recently sent down to the Kings' AHL franchise in Ontario, but he is likely to be brought up quickly because of his aggressive style and power.
