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The Los Angeles Kings made the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again. And once again, they faced the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the postseason. Unfortunately, the result remained the same as their previous affairs. Los Angeles was eliminated by Edmonton for the fourth straight season, sending the team toward NHL Free Agency with a ton of questions to answer.
The Kings fired general manager Rob Blake before the market opened on July 1. In his place is a former front office foe. Ken Holland is the new Kings general manager after spending five years in charge of Edmonton. Before that, he spent 22 years in charge of the Detroit Red Wings, leading them to four Stanley Cups while helping engineer a 25-year playoff streak.
Holland mentioned that he wanted to be aggressive this offseason. And to some extent, he achieved that aim. Los Angeles signed a number of players in NHL Free Agency. Corey Perry, Joel Armia, and Cody Ceci are among the names to join the Kings this summer.
The dust has settled on the offseason for the most part. There are certainly a few moves left to be made. However, the bulk of the summer maneuvering is complete. With that in mind, here is one move Los Angeles should have made this offseason.
Kings would have been smart to add top-six scorer
The Kings had a few needs to address heading into NHL Free Agency. For instance, veteran defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov left for the New York Rangers on July 1. As a result, Los Angeles needed to replace his spot in the lineup. Holland signed Ceci and Brian Dumoulin to try and cover the void.
Moreover, Los Angeles placed importance on depth in the open market. Perry and Armia are going to play bottom-six roles in Los Angeles. Armia, especially, could provide value on the penalty kill. He is reliable in many areas of the ice. And he can give them valuable minutes in high-pressure situations.
However, the Kings arguably left their biggest need to chance. Los Angeles needed a scoring option in the top-six. The Kings started the 2024-25 season well enough offensively. But they also saw their offensive ability come back down to Earth in a major way. And if that happens again, they need someone who can help carry the load.
Alex Laferriere was recently rewarded for his efforts in 2024-25. He finished with a career high 19 goals in 77 games. However, 13 of his 19 goals came before the calendar flipped to 2025. Moreover, Anze Kopitar saw his elite start to the season drop off significantly. Veteran Trevor Moore failed to build upon his 31-goal season in 2023-24, as well.
All three names, Kopitar especially, are likely to see time in the top-six at some point this upcoming season. Kopitar is 37, so it's hard to expect him to produce as he did to begin 2024-25. Laferriere is young, so he could find another gear. Moore will likely only make sporadic appearances in the top-six, but you'd like to have insurance to support him when he's called upon.
Los Angeles has tried a lot of things to get over their postseason hump. They did the big move for a high-potential forward, but Pierre-Luc Dubois didn't work out. They tried having a quiet offseason, and that didn't work. Now, they're striking a balance between aggressive and going all in. Unfortunately, without another top-six scoring option, they may struggle to win games in the postseason once again.
