NHL Preview 2024-25 63 SportsForecaster.com

Forwards

Quinton Byfield [C]

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 6-5
  • Wt: 225
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 80 20 35 55 19 42 0.69
Career 288 55 106 161 42 152 0.56
Forecast 82 28 41 69 - - 0.84

The Kings stayed patient with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft last season and were rewarded with a breakthrough. Byfield played with confidence, learned to get his shot off more frequently and became a 20-goal scorer for the first time. The talented 6'5'' forward is strong, has improved his skating and combines good size with skill.

Phillip Danault [C]

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 200
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 78 17 30 47 12 18 0.60
Career 739 125 274 399 86 329 0.54
Forecast 80 19 29 48 - - 0.60

The 31-year-old usually lined up as the second-line center in LA last season. As a two-way pivot, he is capable of taking on the toughest defensive matchups and winning more than half his draws–while providing enough scoring to lengthen the forward lineup. Danault's numbers were down slightly from '22-23, as was his average ice time.

Kevin Fiala [LW/RW]

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 205
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 82 29 44 73 1 62 0.89
Career 679 221 286 507 9 383 0.75
Forecast 82 34 41 75 - - 0.91

The Swiss forward has averaged nearly a point per game in his two seasons with the Kings, despite not always playing on the top two lines. Much of his production has come while toiling in a 1-3-1 system that focuses on defense rather than offense. Fiala's 73 points in '23-24 were fueled by great power-play scoring numbers (11-19-30).

Warren Foegele [LW]

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 204
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Edm 82 20 21 41 3 47 0.50
Career 533 109 106 215 39 207 0.40
Forecast 79 15 15 30 - - 0.38

He will attempt to build on a season that saw him get career highs in goals, assists and points before helping Edmonton get to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The LA newcomer can be a threat off the rush and has the speed to score on breakaways. Though his defensive play is inconsistent, he can be disruptive as the lead forechecker.

Tanner Jeannot [LW/RW]

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 221
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
TB 55 7 7 14 -10 75 0.25
Career 324 52 53 105 -10 428 0.32
Forecast 73 12 10 22 - - 0.30

He is no fun to play against. Jeannot is big and strong, and he does not back down physically (his 211 hits in 2023-24 led Tampa Bay). He is also a great pugilist. His defensive play is inconsistent, his 200-foot game occasionally comes up a few feet short, and his scoring totals are down since his rookie season (24 goals in '21-22).

Adrian Kempe [RW]

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 200
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 77 28 47 75 13 72 0.97
Career 658 203 222 425 30 389 0.65
Forecast 80 37 36 73 - - 0.91

Opponents played Kempe as more of a shooter last season, after he scored 41 goals in 2022-23, so he adjusted his game and set career highs in assists and points–while still scoring 28 goals. His overall game has never been more consistent, and he has morphed from a shot-focused style of play into a more versatile offensive performer.

Anze Kopitar [C]

  • Age: 37
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 225
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 81 26 44 70 11 22 0.86
Career 1478 445 847 1292 116 352 0.87
Forecast 80 22 38 60 - - 0.75

As he enters his 19th campaign, the 37-year-old remains among the best two-way pivots in the NHL. He passed the 400-goal and 1,200-point milestones in 2023-24, scored six game winners, played on both special teams and saw more total ice time than any Kings forward. He also won more than half of his draws for the 13th straight season.

Alex Laferriere [RW/C]

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 205
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 81 12 11 23 -14 46 0.28
Career 186 37 40 77 7 70 0.41
Forecast 82 17 15 32 - - 0.39

He spent all of his first full pro season providing the Kings with depth scoring from an unexpected source. A point-per-game player over his two years at Harvard University, Laferriere showed flashes of being able to play up in the NHL lineup. He skates well, has a shot-first mentality and displays a willingness to do the dirty work.

Trevor Lewis [W/C]

  • Age: 37
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 202
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 82 8 8 16 7 20 0.20
Career 1034 104 133 237 -41 243 0.23
Forecast 80 6 9 15 - - 0.19

In his 17 pro campaigns, Lewis has performed admirably as a bottom-six forward who checks diligently, kills penalties well and chips in a few points here and there. He returned to the Kings in 2023-24, after three seasons away, to improve the penalty kill. However, Lewis has never finished with more than 26 points in an NHL campaign.

Trevor Moore [LW/RW]

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 195
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 82 31 26 57 11 28 0.70
Career 443 98 129 227 41 108 0.51
Forecast 81 24 29 53 - - 0.65

The 29-year-old responded to his new five-year contract extension (signed in 2022) with the best season of his career, more than tripling his goals output from 2022-23–despite scoring just twice on the power play. Moore broke the 30-goal mark last season, after never reaching 25 tallies at any hockey level since he turned 15!

Akil Thomas [RW]

  • Age: 24
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 195
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 7 3 1 4 0 2 0.57
Career 32 4 3 7 -4 9 0.22
Forecast 63 10 8 18 - - 0.29

Staying healthy in his fourth pro season finally got Thomas an NHL call-up late last season. He scored three goals in his first five games, which came after his first 20-goal season in the AHL–and six years after he was chosen in the second round of the 2018 draft. He is a good forechecker, controls the puck well and goes to the net.

Alex Turcotte [C/W]

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 185
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 20 1 3 4 5 6 0.20
Career 127 12 23 35 8 48 0.28
Forecast 70 8 13 21 - - 0.30

The son of former NHL forward Alfie Turcotte finally notched his first big-league goal last season–nearly five years after he was the fifth pick in the '19 draft. A raft of injuries has continually interrupted his career; the 55 games Turcotte appeared in between the NHL and AHL in '23-24 are the most he has played in a pro campaign.

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Mikey Anderson

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 195
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 74 2 16 18 22 18 0.24
Career 373 19 70 89 77 130 0.24
Forecast 79 4 17 21 - - 0.27

The Kings were not scored upon often when Anderson was on the ice in 2023-24–his plus-22 rating put him in the top 20 among NHL D-men. He excels at suppressing shots at even strength despite playing most of his shifts against the opposition's top lines. The 25-year-old is an effective penalty killer but does not generate many points.

Brandt Clarke

  • Age: 21
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 200
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 16 2 4 6 -6 10 0.38
Career 131 12 43 55 13 76 0.42
Forecast 65 5 20 25 - - 0.38

The No. 8 pick in 2021 impressed in his first pro campaign, both in the AHL and during a 16-game stint with the Kings. There is no question about his offensive skills; he makes plays that most other blueliners cannot make. However, his defensive game is still a work in progress, although it could improve as he adds size and strength.

Drew Doughty

  • Age: 34
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 210
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 82 15 35 50 15 44 0.61
Career 1228 162 534 696 80 795 0.57
Forecast 77 11 37 48 - - 0.62

The best defenseman in Kings history will try to build on a second straight season of 50-plus points. His 15 goals were one shy of the career high he set 14 years earlier. Doughty was second in the NHL in average ice time (25:48 TOI/GP) in 2023-24, the 12th straight time he has averaged more than 25 minutes. He continues to be elite.

Joel Edmundson

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 6-5
  • Wt: 221
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Wsh/Tor 53 1 5 6 -2 23 0.11
Career 631 37 104 141 51 500 0.22
Forecast 67 2 11 13 - - 0.19

Size (6'5'', 221 pounds) makes Edmundson a major force in his own zone. He is a defensive blueliner who uses his long reach to disrupt opponents and is willing to get in front of shots. However, he has never been an offensive presence (20 points is his career high) and has been plagued by injuries for much of the past few campaigns.

Vladislav Gavrikov

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 220
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 77 6 17 23 9 28 0.30
Career 466 35 113 148 31 210 0.32
Forecast 80 5 19 24 - - 0.30

The 2023 trade deadline acquisition matched his career high in goals last season, despite playing hurt at times due to a knee injury. The Kings averaged more than 34 shots per 60 minutes when he was on the ice, a team high. However, his defensive-zone play was not as sharp as the previous season and he struggled in the 2024 playoffs.

Jordan Spence

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 180
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
LA 71 2 22 24 5 12 0.34
Career 199 9 62 71 38 36 0.36
Forecast 76 4 25 29 - - 0.38

Born in Australia, Spence finally broke through for good last season, playing 71 games in a third-pairing role for the Kings. He was not entrusted with key minutes or lots of playing time (14:26 TOI/GP) and had some defensive growing pains–which is not unusual for a young defenseman. He got better on offense as the season went along.

Darcy Kuemper

  • Age: 34
  • Ht: 6-5
  • Wt: 215
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
Wsh 33 13 14 3 1 3.31 0.89
Career 459 218 152 58 38 2.53 0.915
Forecast 48 27 - - 2 2.92 0.902

The 34-year-old Kuemper went from a Stanley Cup champ in Colorado to a bench-riding backup in Washington in two years, and then was traded to Los Angeles this past June. Last campaign was the worst of his career: he lost his starting job and ended with career lows in both goals-against average and save percentage. Can he bounce back?

David Rittich

  • Age: 32
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 200
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
LA 24 13 6 3 3 2.15 0.921
Career 240 114 74 27 8 2.78 0.904
Forecast 36 17 - - 1 2.85 0.898

"Big Save Dave" stepped up and helped carry the Kings into the playoffs in '23-24 by posting the lowest goals-against average and best save percentage of his NHL career, but he struggled during the postseason. The 32-year-old Rittich is fairly consistent as an ideal No. 2 goalkeeper who can step in and produce at a moment's notice.