The first month of the 2024-25 season is in the books for the Los Angeles Kings and it is tough to get a read on how to feel about it. They began the season with seven straight road games and had eight games total on the road out of the 11 games played that month.
They got points in eight of those games with a 6-3-2 for 15 points and it was enough to be near the top of the Pacific Division to close out the month. They had wins over Utah Hockey Club and the Vegas Golden Knights but also losses to the San Jose Sharks, and almost let them come back in another game.
When looking at the month as a whole, these are five of the biggest surprises for the Los Angeles Kings.
Akil Thomas sitting the first eight games of the season
Let's start with one surprise that appears to have been rectified as Akil Thomas missed the first eight games of the season. He entered the season with high expectations but couldn't crack that fourth line.
The good news is that he played in the final two games of the month (including the first game of November) and had a goal in his first game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Hopefully, he has shown enough to remain in the lineup because the Kings can use a player like him on that fourth line that has shown he can be an effective goal-scorer.