The Los Angeles Kings have put themselves in a position to make a run at the Pacific Division but they are not quite on the level of the Vegas Golden Knights. They are going to have to make some moves prior to the NHL Trade Deadline if they want to win the division for the first time since the 1990-91 season.
When looking at the roster, the focus needs to be on the offense and the forwards. The Kings have been one of the best defensive teams in the NHL this season and with Drew Doughty recently returning, this group should only get better.
There are three seemingly glaring weaknesses with the forward unit that might not necessarily need three players to correct. The Kings might be able to find a player who can address two, or even all three, of the biggest needs.
Los Angeles Kings have to improve their power play unit
The power play struggles are nothing new for the Los Angeles Kings and is something that has carried over from last season. During the regular season, the Kings were in the middle of the league in power play percentage at 22.6% but couldn't muster a single power play goal in their first round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers.
This season, they have regressed even further and currently rank 29th in power play percentage at 14.6% and are tied for 30th in power play goals with only 18.
One of the hopes is that the return of Drew Doughty should help as he has been a big part of the power play unit in the past. However, the Kings should not just hold out hope that he is the only fix and they should look to add a forward that improves this group. This is arguably the top priority at this point and could have the most impact on their playoff chances.
Los Angeles Kings could use a right-handed goal-scorer
Another thing that the Los Angeles Kings could use is a right-handed goal scorer as they only have two players over 20 goals. The reason they have two is that Kevin Fiala was on an incredible run before the break with five goals in four games to get to 21.
The reason that the Kings in particular need a right-handed shot is because they don't have many right-handed forwards right now on the roster. In fact, they have only three with Alex Laferriere, Trevor Lewis, and Akil Thomas. The last two though don't really have enough ice time to make an impact or should be pointed to as a reason for not having this need.
Los Angeles Kings need an upgrade at 4C
The final need for the Los Angeles Kings is on their fourth line, particularly at center. Right now, Trevor Lewis is playing that role but he is not making much of an impact. The long-time Kings player recently surpassed 1,000 career games, which is an incredible achievement, but he has struggled to make an impact on the ice this season.
This is a spot that the Kings may want to upgrade internally with like Samuel Helenius but as the Kings call around the league, it is a position that they should be keeping in mind.