NHL 2020/2021 Season Preview - Los Angeles Kings

West Division

Odds: Point totals 49.5, to make playoffs +380 to win division +2400, Stanley Cup +7500

Simulation results: 8th in the West with 45 points

Last Season

The rebuild saw some glimpses of light last season, especially towards the end of the cancelled regular season. Still much of an Anze Kopitar’s team, there was not a lot of support for the Slovenian center and there’s still more dead wood than promise in the team. Defensively the performance was not bad at all, but it is almost always easier to break than make the play. Goal scoring was an issue, but the team did make strides by the end of the season.

Changes to 2021 and the divisional matchups

Youngsters in and veterans out is the theme as the rebuild continues. There’s a lot of question marks, but a lot of potential in the team, like hot prospects Alex Turcotte and Quinton Byfield. But lack of surefire NHL players in top six is worrying, although the defense is still solid and tough to play against, and Jonathan Quick can still win his team some games. The West is tough on top, but quite lousy at the bottom, but it looks like the Kings will be struggling at the bottom for at least another season.

Roster and lineups

Defensively the Kings are still solid, led by Jonathan Quick – when he is healthy – and Drew Doughty. Olli Määttä arrived to bring in all-around quality to the defense, but he has the exact same problems as the Kings team overall. The fast paced modern NHL does not suit Kings well and their only chance is to kill of the speed and make the game about grinding. Kurtis McDermid and Sean Walker with Mikey Anderson and Matt Roy are not exactly the top depth defensemen, but they can make the opponents life miserable. That will not take the Kings too far, though.

Offense is run by Anze Kopitar once again and he hasn’t lost a stride approaching the age of 34. The Slovenian is just too alone and despite the emergence of Adrian Kempe and Alex Iafallo, there’s simply no production enough to win games. The youngsters should take a step forward and high expectations are put on Gabe Vilardi and prospects like Alex Turcotte, Quinton Byfield and even Lias Andersson, who is looking to save his NHL career at a young age. The offense shows some promise, but is still too one-sided and receives barely any support from the defense, so it looks like the Kings will try and hold it to 0-0 as long as possible.

Season predictions

The Kings and Ducks share the last place in the west and are within one point at the bottom. It’s hard to see Kings beating any of the better teams in the west and their style of play is rather consuming, which might be an issue with the condensed schedule and plenty of back to backs. However, the young players are likely to gain a lot of experience and the benefits will be reaped in the future.

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