Entering the season, expectations for the Los Angeles Kings weren’t wildly high.
The team was coming off three straight playoff eliminations at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers, and the Kings didn’t accomplish a ton in the offseason. The subtractions outweighed the additions, and it was tough to view the team as a contender.
But through 25 games, Los Angeles holds a 14-8-3 record. They sit sixth in the Western Conference in points percentage, which is arguably better than anticipated.
Below, we take a look at the surprises and disappointments of the Kings’ season early on.
Surprise: Brandt Clarke already looks like a star
From the time Brandt Clarke was selected eighth overall in 2021, there were high hopes for the defender. He returned to the Barrie Colts to dominate the OHL, before posting nearly point-per-game numbers with the AHL’s Ontario Reign last season. But as a 21-year-old defenseman with only 25 career NHL games under his belt coming into the season, it was a little tough to tell just how quickly he’d adjust to a full-time NHL role.
After losing Matt Roy, the Kings were expected to ice two fairly young defensemen in Clarke and Jordan Spence on the right side, behind Drew Doughty. However, this was only further complicated by Doughty’s long-term injury. As a result, Clarke took a fairly large role early on but has exceeded the already high expectations.
The defenseman has registered 16 points, to lead all Kings defensemen. He also ranks second on the Kings in assists, trailing only Anze Kopitar. He’s spent a lot of his time with Joel Edmundson and has taken a key role in the power play in Doughty’s absence.
Growing pains were expected, but Clarke already looks like he’s poised for stardom.
Disappointment: Jordan Spence hasn’t taken advantage of opportunity
While Clarke has stepped up to the challenge in Doughty’s absence, Jordan Spence hasn’t really taken the step we thought he would.
Spence has also been forced into a bigger role but has had some tough stretches early in the year. All signs pointed to him becoming a key contributor from the blue line, but he’s managed just five points. Spence even found himself as a healthy scratch early in the year and has been prone to mistakes at times. The team has opted to use a pairing of two left-handed defensemen in Mikey Anderson and Vladislav Gavrikov to take on the toughest matchups, which can at least partially be attributed to Spence not being reliable in a larger role.
There are still a lot of seasons left for Spence to hit his stride. But seeing him struggle, there’s some reason for concern about Spence growing into a long-term, top-four role.
Surprise: Alex Laferriere and Alex Turcotte have each taken a big step
Perhaps the biggest surprise for the Kings has been Alex Laferriere’s excellent start to the season. Realistically, it marks the second year in a row in which the forward is a pleasant surprise for the team.
Last year, Laferriere made the team out of training camp unexpectedly. Playing all 82 games with the Kings in 2023-24, Laferriere demonstrated a consistent work ethic to be an effective forechecker and posted 23 points. This season, however, Laferriere is in the midst of what seems like a breakout year.
The winger got off to an outstanding start to the year, scoring nine goals and 15 points in his first 16 games. He cooled off a bit from there, but with five points over his last three games, Laferriere sits third on the team in points. At just 23 years old, Laferriere is positioning himself to play a larger role going forward than initially expected.
Alex Turcotte has also been a nice surprise. Since being selected fifth overall in 2019, Turcotte hasn’t necessarily lived up to expectations. He struggled to gain a full-time spot in the NHL, prior to this year.
However, Turcotte has turned into a good supplementary piece. He’s posted eight points across 20 games, but has also rounded out his game a little bit, to provide an impact even without possession. This was likely a make-or-break year for Turcotte, so it’s been great to see him carve out a role for himself.
Disappointment: Kevin Fiala, Quinton Byfield and Tanner Jeannot are starting slow
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While some of the young talent has made an impact up front, other core pieces have struggled.
Kevin Fiala, who’s maybe the team’s most dynamic forward, has shown little consistency. Fiala’s game isn’t wildly well-rounded, meaning his ability to produce is extremely important to his value. So when he’s only sitting at 16 points across 24 games, it’s tough to justify that he’s been impactful enough. He was scratched earlier on for missing a team meeting and later went for a stretch of six games without a point.
Quinton Byfield has also been underwhelming, after signing a sizeable five-year contract this summer. Transitioning to play down the middle this season, Byfield has registered just three goals and 11 points across 25 games.
Of course, Byfield is still just 22 years old. His game is strong away from the puck already, so he can make an impact even if he isn’t producing. But it’s still been a really underwhelming start to the year, after posting 55 points last season.
Tanner Jeannot, who was one of the bigger offseason additions, has also failed to really accomplish much. The trade to acquire Jeannot was a bit of a head-scratcher from the start, with the Kings giving up some decent draft picks.
Jeannot was brought in to help make the Kings tougher to play against, rather than just to add offense. At the same time, he’s registered just three points across 24 games and has taken more of a depth role. Jeannot’s three-game suspension was arguably the most notable part of his tenure with Los Angeles thus far.
Obviously, it’s early, and all of Fiala, Byfield and Jeannot can turn things around. But they mark three forwards who have all fallen short of expectations thus far.