The state of the Los Angeles Kings prospects and futures

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The LA Kings are in sort of a middle-ground right now. Their old guys are ready to hang up the skates, but their young kids just aren’t there yet. They have some trade pieces ahead of the deadline and currently sit fourth in the Pacific Division with 55 points. Though that’s not a very comfortable place to be seeing as how the Ducks are tied with them, the Canucks are three points behind and the Sharks six.

While the Kings seem to have zero chance of winning this division there is a chance they could make the playoffs. But, I would like to see them go the other way and start bringing up some of the younger kids getting them ready for next year. Where in 2023 the Pacific could be wide open the Golden Knights are in cap hell and no one else in the division looks solid enough top-to-bottom to take it. So get this team ready for 2022-2023, and secure a decent draft pick.

Right now the Kings have all seven of their draft picks, but I would look for that number to increase by the trade deadline.

The trade deadline should be a busy one, with teams either looking to get ready for next year, or make some hard cap moves. The Kings might be quiet as far as upgrading talent, but should be busy in the draft pick market.

Current state of the LA Kings roster

Currently, the LA Kings are rostering 15 players who were born in 1995 or later. This makes them one of the older rosters in the league, several players are in their 30`s already. I would expect several of them to get moved at the deadline to make room for some really good young players. Having a top-5 minor league system headlined by the soon-to-be household name Quinton Byfield who was taken second overall in the 2020 NHL draft.

As we dive deeper into the state of the Kings we will look at this in-season outlook, the trade deadline, and who they got in the pipeline.

While they don’t look great on paper at the moment the Kings are far from one of the worst teams in the league. They have talent and good coaching, but after that Stanley Cup run, they had a few years ago they have yet to regain power, but it’s coming and coming in quickly.

So let’s take a look first at what to expect as the season unfolds for royalty.

Jan 27, 2022; Elmont, New York, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Quinton Byfield (55) reacts after scoring a goal against the New York Islanders during the first period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Where will the Kings finish the season? Will they decide to make a bold move and push for a solid playoff spot, or will they sit back and play for a 2023 season with an extremly young roster?

Right now the season outlook for the royal LA Kings looks a little bleak, but it’s still mid-season. Things can change quickly, while I don’t see them challenging for a division title they could still back-end slide into the playoffs. There are a lot of underperforming teams in the NHL right now, and all the Kings need to do is set up a few wins in a row and create some separation to give them an edge.

They could find themselves in a good spot though shortly as the Oilers, Canucks, and Sharks can’t seem to get it together, and the Golden Knights will have some tough calls to make quickly.

If I am right in my prediction that the LA Kings start calling up their kids and Prince Byfield and leaving them there for the season, this team could turn around the season rather fast. With much faster play and better second chances off deflections, and more cohesive lines. Right now the lines are a little mixed and match with speed and leadership. Kings need to pick a direction and if they pick the right one we could see the Kings end up in the top-3 of the Pacific which would be an achievement after what looked to be a resurgence of the Oilers and Canucks just a year ago.

Could next year be the LA Kings year?

This division in 2023/2024 will look far different than it will now, but as for now, the Kings look to continue being middle of the pack if nothing changes. If we don’t see changes at the deadline and guys coming up, the Kings will most likely miss the playoffs and slide into a decent draft pick. The next few daya will determine what they do.

If the Kings don’t find winning ways I would look for them to sort of tank for a better pick and in 2022 started a vastly different roster.

Jun 21, 2019; Vancouver, BC, Canada; Alex Turcotte poses for a photo after being selected as the number five overall pick to the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports /

The royalty in the Kings pipline could be the next LA dynasty

The LA Kings pipeline is one of the best in the league with multiple top-end picks. They drafted 20th in 2018, 22nd in 2019, 2nd in 2020, and 8th in 2021. Since 2018 the Kings have had 28 draft picks and 11 of them have been in the first two rounds. Even if you don’t hit on all of them, that’s a lot of talent and depth waiting to be unleashed at the next level.

With Defensemen Brandt Clarke and Center Quinten Byfield looking to be break-out stars for years to come in back-to-back drafts.

It’s hard not to fantasize about what this team could look like in two to three seasons with how they continue to draft, and the amount of cap space they have in addition. Having a solid pipeline is the way to win for a long time in this league. Not only will it keep you young and full of depth, but it will free up cap space to go out and get that one player you need or two to change your fortunes around.

Byfield at the center, Alex Turcotte wing, Arthur Kaliyev wing, and Akil Thomas center are their best prospects at the moment and all of them could be up by the end of the season.

Even if only three out of the five of them become top-six players they will make a massive impact not only on this team but in the league. To be able to be middle-ground in your division with franchise players waiting in the wings before the deadline could instantly change this franchise around. Should the Kings string together wings we may see these kids wait a little longer to come up, but should the trade deadline favor the bold as they could unload older guys and gather more picks we could see a much different team in the silver and white.

There is a lot to like and look forward to in this pipeline and it will only continue to get better as the Kings have all their picks this year and their promising young players are spread out at positions. We won’t see a youth log-jam at positions as we have seen in the past with other teams.

How are the young LA Kings kids looking?

Currently, the top has had the following stats through all leagues and games 2021-2022:
Byfield- 19 games, five goals, and two assists, and a +/- of 0 betwen the NHL and minors.
Turcotte- 34 games, six goals, 12 assists, and a +/- of 18 between the NHL and minors.
Kaliyev- 47 games, nine goals, six assists, and a +/- of -4 (all in NHL.)
Thomas- 13 games, no goals, one assist, and a +/- of -4. In 2020-2021 however, 40 games with 11 goals and 40 assists.

(Keep in mind COVID has hurt a lot of minor leagues and teams 2021-2022 with ability to play games)

Jan 20, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) and right wing Dustin Brown (23) before playing against the Colorado Avalanche in the third period at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

It is time for the Kings to say goodbye to the older players at the deadline

The LA Kings have a fair amount of people over 28 who are eating at the cap and it’s time to say goodbye to some of them. Such as Dustin Brown who is 36 and at the end of his career, yes he was a Stanley Cup hero, but it’s time to get the most you can for him and let him and his contract go.

Current guys over 30 and their contracts:
Dustin Brown 37- 5.8MM cap hit this year and then UFA at the end of the season.
Anze Kopitar 34- 10MM cap hit until 2024.
Drew Doughty 32- 11MM cap hit until 2027.
Alexander Edler 35- 3.5MM cap hit UFA at the end of the season.
Jonathan Quick 35 – 5.8MM cap hit until 2023.

It is time to say goodbye to most if not all of these even if they are captains or wearing the A. Doughty and Kopitar hold a massive cap hit for their age, on a team that needs to get younger. While their contracts might make them hard to move, they need to move them for draft picks or to continue to stuff the minor leagues with talent.

None of them are going to get any better or younger, and some are not even playing full minutes for the team.

The Leafs could be big time movers at the deadline. dark. Next

Who could the LA Kings move and how does the cap look going into the deadline?

While four of the five were the foundation for their Stanley Cup run it’s time to cut loose, free up the cap and look toward the future. Nothing good has ever happened by keeping older guys who run themselves into shells while still paying them top-end money. Doughty and Kopitar are not worth it to the franchise, but there are more than a few playoff-bound teams who would jump at them and shell out some picks or prospects.

Going into the off-season if the Kings can have a top-end cap situation and multiple picks in the top-90 this team will continue to grow into what we all expect it to be. It’s never easy getting rid of franchise icons, but you need to think about the future of the team and who is and is not of value and these five at the moment are going to hold the franchise back moving forward. Kopitar, Doughty, and Quick will eat almost 27MM in cap space into 2023. That is not going to be a recipe for success moving forward.

So it’s time to say goodbye, thank you, and best of luck to names that one day will end up in the rafters.

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