LA Kings: Three can’t-miss breakout candidates to watch next year
These three LA Kings will turn some heads next season as can’t-miss breakout candidates.
On Friday, the NHL announced that the 2021 Winter Classic and All-Star Game were postponed. The COVID pandemic has taken a toll on everything and anything, and the league has had difficulties setting a schedule for the 2020-2021 season.
How many games will we see the LA Kings play? 48-60? A full 82-game slate? The former seems more likely at this point. I find it interesting that the league stated here that these two events’ postponements would not impact the targeted January 1, 2021 start date for the NHL.
At any rate, when the season gets underway, the LA Kings will have several new faces seeing a larger role next year. Many of them will have the opportunity to establish themselves as regulars in the lineup for the foreseeable future with a solid season.
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Last year, the player was Blake Lizotte. Undrafted out of St. Cloud State, Lizotte was overlooked because he’s 5-foot-7 on a good day. But he also has the mental toughness and speed that propelled him from a strong training camp to a spot on the LA Kings roster. The 22-year-old scored 6 goals with 17 assists, primarily playing at the 3C position.
Lizotte will likely have Jeff Carter as his right-winger with the left side open for competition. Let’s look at several players who could be great picks for breakout candidates in the 2020-2021 season.
1. Carl Grundstrom
As part of the Jake Muzzin trade in January 2019, Carl Grundstrom embraced scenery changes in stride. He finished the 2018-2019 season with 16 goals and 23 assists split between LA’s and Toronto’s AHL affiliates. He was also promoted to the NHL for 15 games, tallying 5 goals and an assist.
The former second-round pick in 2016 spent the majority of the following season in Ontario but played sparingly for the LA Kings throughout the year. In all, he tallied 12 goals with 16 assists in 40 games for Ontario and 4 assists in 13 games for LA.
The Kings just extended him on a two-year deal, and Grundstrom will get a long look at the NHL level this season. He’s great at crashing the net where many scoring opportunities will present themselves.
He’s currently loaned to Björklöven of HockeyAllsvenskan and is 8th in the league with 5 points (1 G, 4 A) through six games.
2. Cal Petersen
Cal Petersen is the heir apparent to Jonathan Quick in net, and the duo figure to split time in the upcoming season. What kind of split remains to be seen, but it will certainly be more than his 2019-2020 total of 8 games.
After the Kings gave Jack Campbell a look in net and ultimately traded him to the Maple Leafs, Petersen shined down the stretch to the tune of a .922 save percentage and 2.64 GAA. Five of his eight starts were deemed quality starts.
He made tremendous strides blocking shots on the man advantage from the 2018-2019 to 2019-2020 season, going from a .793 save percentage to a .919 save percentage.
The 26-year old was right in line with his expected-goals-allowed (20) last season, which was another vast improvement from the previous year. Look for Petersen and Quick to form one of the best goalie tandems in the league this year.
3. Gabe Vilardi
Finally healthy, we all saw what Gave Vilardi was capable of. The former 11th overall pick in 2017 scored 29 goals with 32 assists in his draft year for Windsor of the OHL.
After another season in the OHL, Vilardi transitioned to Ontario for the 2018-2019 season. He lasted just four games before being shut down with a back injury.
“I feel like a completely different person, if I’m being honest, than I was last year,” Vilardi said, via LA Times. “It’s been a long road, but I’m happy I’m here.”
He had a heckuva year in Ontario last year, scoring 9 goals with 16 goals when the Kings promoted him to the NHL. And he made an impact right off the bat.
In the final 10 games, Vilardi scored 7 points (3 G, 4 A), leaving many to wonder how many points he could have finished with if not for the shutdown.
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The 21-year-old is penciled in as the 2C for this season, and he’ll be playing alongside his linemate in Ontario in Martin Frk. The duo was lightning in a bottle and could provide some much-needed production for the second line. With enough production, Vilardi could also have a shot at the Calder Trophy.