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The Los Angeles Kings are in a very good spot heading into 2023-24. They locked up one of the greatest Kings in history (besides Wayne Gretzky) in captain and face of the franchise Anze Kopitar. They made a huge splash by acquiring and signing Pierre-Luc Dubois to a long-term contract. And they added goaltending depth by signing veteran Cam Talbot to a one-year, show-me deal.
But will it be enough to compete with the best teams in the division next season, that being the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights? Without a doubt, the Kings have one of the best center groups in the NHL, with Kopitar, Dubois, Phil Danault and Quinton Byfield. The defense is a year older, with Mikey Anderson and Matt Roy getting another year of big league experience. And the goaltending is experienced, if not necessarily a strong suit.
Can the Kings beat the Oilers?
The Kings had an excellent year in 2022-23, enjoying a 47-win, 104-point season to finish third in the Pacific Division behind the Oilers and Knights. But for the second season in a row, they were defeated by Connor McDavid and Edmonton in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Oilers have only gotten better, and figure to be an extremely difficult out for the next few seasons.
With the way the NHL playoffs work, that all-but-confirms that if the Kings secure a top-three finish in the Pacific, they will run into McDavid's team again. The Oilers beat the Kings in Game 7 back in 2022, despite Los Angeles being up 3-2 in the series. And it only took six games for the Oilers to dispatch the Kings in 2023.
But with a full season of Dubois as second-line center, the Kings are in much better shape to potentially beat their Alberta-based rivals. Dubois is an excellent two-way player who can help mitigate Edmonton's high-flying offense. It took the Vancouver Canucks three tries to beat the Chicago Blackhawks in the early 2010s, but when they finally did in 2011, they came within one win of winning the Stanley Cup.
Calling the Kings Stanley Cup contenders is premature, but this is a very good hockey team that should easily make the postseason again in 2024. But the team can still improve on defense.
Ideal trade target: Samuel Girard
With Sean Durzi out of the equation after being traded to the Arizona Coyotes back in June, it opens up a spot on the blue line. It's expected that former No. 8 overall pick Brandt Clarke will make the opening night roster, especially after his outrageous 23-goal, 61-point season with the Ontario Hockey League's Barrie Colts last season. He followed that up with an egregious 23 points in 12 postseason contests. He could be an excellent rookie next year.
But the Kings could still use another third pairing defenseman, as No. 22 overall pick Tobias Bjornfot hasn't been great with the big league club. Enter Colorado Avalanche's Samuel Girard.
Samuel Girard has seen his name swirling in trade talks for years, and he still has four seasons remaining on a contract that will pay him $5 million AAV until the conclusion of the 2026-27 season. The Avalanche have a plethora of excellent defensemen, and Girard could end up being the odd man out from both a roster spot and financial perspective as long as Bowen Byram stays healthy.
Girard is a smooth-skating, mobile player who is great offensively and boasts very strong edge work and balance. Although he's only 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, the 25-year-old Quebec native also brings a ton of offensive upside. He logged over 21 minute a night in 2022, and recorded 90 shot blocks during the 2021-22 regular season.
The former No. 47 overall pick in 2016 is also a factor on the power play, recording over 122 minutes of time on ice two seasons ago. He could realistically quarterback PP2 in Los Angeles, with veteran Drew Doughty remaining on the first unit. Still, something very likely needs to give on the Avalanche blue line, and there's potential for Kings GM Rob Blake to swoop in and make a deal.
A Kings-Avalanche trade could potentially be a win-win for both sides, and help LA to shore up their third defensive pairing. With Erik Johnson leaving for the Buffalo Sabres, it's possible that Avs GM Chris MacFarland might want to keep Girard until the end of his contract, but he's definitely worth looking into from a Kings perspective.
Los Angeles has emerged into a great team with the potential to win playoff rounds in the near future. They need to get good goaltending from Cam Talb0t and Phoenix Copley, but adding Samuel Girard to the back-end could be a great option heading into the 2023-24 campaign.
