5 biggest surprises for the Los Angeles Kings in first month of 2024-25 season
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.
Joel Edmundson with three goals in October
The Los Angeles Kings signed Joel Edmundson as a free agent to a four-year deal to add some size and physicality to their defense. However, what they didn't realize was that they were also going to get a player who could get the puck in the net.
In the first month, Edmundson has three goals which also includes a two-goal game against the Utah Hockey Club. He is definitely not known to provide much on the offensive side as he had three or more goals in five of his 10 seasons.
In the past two seasons in total between Montreal, Washington, and Toronto, he had three total goals; the last time he had three or more goals was in the 2021-22 season. It is probably not something the Kings should plan on continuing based on Edmundson's career but it has been a pleasant surprise to start the year.
Alex Laferriere with six goals to begin the season
The Los Angeles Kings had Alex Laferriere in a prominent role in this offense entering the season as he was on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. He didn't stay there and was moved when Jim Hiller moved the lines around after the Maple Leafs' game but it hasn't mattered as Alex Laferriere has continued to produce.
Through the first 11 games, Laferriere had six goals and is well ahead of his pace from his rookie season where he had 12 goals in 81 games. He has continued the scoring into November as he also had two goals against the Chicago Blackhawks and is leading the Kings in this category. Laferriere currently is riding a three-game goal streak dating back to the road game against the San Jose Sharks.
It will be interesting to see how long he can keep this pace but it doesn't look like Laferriere is heading towards any kind of sophomore slump with the way he has started the season.
Brandt Clarke leading Los Angeles Kings in assists
When a team has a player like Anze Kopitar, it is tough to imagine anyone else leading the Los Angeles Kings in assists other than the team's captain. However, that has exactly what has happened and even more surprising is that it was a defenseman who accomplished that.
The loss of Drew Doughty to an ankle injury suffered in the preseason was going to create a big hole for the defense. Brandt Clarke though has done a good job stepping up and trying to minimize that impact and ended October on a high note with six assists in four games.
He also had three assists in two separate games as he reached that mark against the Ottawa Senators and then did it again against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Clarke has also done a good job on the power play as four of those 10 assists came when the Kings had the man advantage. He probably won't remain on that top power play unit when Doughty returns but that isn't due to his performance.
Quinton Byfield without a goal through 11 games
Unfortunately not all surprises are good and this is the case for Quinton Byfield who seemed ready to have a breakout season. The former first round pick had 20 goals last season and was moving to center, which is a position that seemed more suited for his skillset.
The expectations only grew after he had one goal and two assists in the preseason. However, the Byfield that fans saw in the preseason has been no where to be found this season as he is one of only five skaters who have not had a goal yet. When considering this group includes three defensemen (Vladislav Gavrikov, Kyle Burroughs, Caleb Jones) and forward Andre Lee, it certainly is concerning.
The coaching staff has tried to get Byfield going as they have moved him around as he returned to left wing on the line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, where he had 20 goals last season, and then back to center but with no luck. The positive is that he does have five assists but the Kings really need him to start shooting as he has only 23 shots on goal this season.
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