Connor McDavid, C
In the modern day rivalry between the Kings and the Oilers, there isn't a more visible face of the series on the ice than superstar center Connor McDavid. Arguably the best player in the NHL today, McDavid has made the Kings' lives miserable in the postseason throughout the 2020s decade.
Thanks to the hated duo of McDavid and forward Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers defeated the Kings in the first round of the postseason in four straight years (from 2022-2025).
While I don't think McDavid really fits the bill of an intentional villain for the Oilers, there is clearly a rivalry there between him and the Kings in this past decade or so. Like Gretzky, McDavid is just the best and most obvious player who highlights the spirit of the rivalry on the ice between the Kings and the Oilers in recent years.
McDavid has been pretty much impossible for the Kings to stop in the postseason with the Oilers. And he's been a tough out for the Kings when they match up against the Oilers in the Pacific Division multiple times in each regular season over the past decade.
In a hypothetical world where McDavid does play for the Kings one day in the future, I think most of the Kings' fan base would easily welcome him to Los Angeles with open arms.
For the time being, though, McDavid and Draisaitl have largely represented the biggest obstacle in the Pacific Division for the Kings to make a deep postseason run.
Sometimes the most hated rival isn't the dirtiest or most physical player, it's just the one you can't beat on the ice. McDavid has become exactly that type of player for the Kings over the last four postseasons.
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