LA Kings Projected Forwards for 2025-26
Based on all these moves, these the lines that I could see the LA Kings going into the season with:
Andrei Kuzmenko - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Jordan Kyrou
Warren Foegele - Phillip Danault - Alex Laferriere
Samuel Helenius - Alex Turcotte - Andre Lee/Jeff Malott
There isn't necessarily huge changes with these forwards but the addition of Jordan Kyrou next to Quinton Byfield and a full season with Andrei Kuzmenko next to Kopitar and Kempe, should be enough to bring significant improvements to the offense for the Kings.
LA Kings Projected Defensive Pairings for 2025-26
As good as the defense was last season, this is where the Kings unfortunately have the most changes.
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Ivan Provorov - Brandt Clarke
Joel Edmundson - Nicklaus Perbix (Jacob Moverare)
The departure of Gavrikov is a big hole, but they do a good job replacing him with Ivan Provorov, who is paired with Brandt Clarke in this scenario. The third pair would be Joel Edmundson and Nicklaus Perbix, with Jacob Moverare potentially getting some time over the course of the season in place of Edmundson.
LA Kings Projected Goalies for 2025-26
Darcy Kuemper - Erik Portillo
While there have been rumors about the LA Kings potentially looking at a veteran goalie to back up Kuemper, I don't believe that is a priority. They should give Erik Portillo the chance to show he can fill that role and with limited cap space, this is the most logical outcome.
Based on the contracts and all these moves, the Kings would still have about $2.75 million in cap space, according to Puckpedia. This gives them some flexibility at the trade deadline to make a move or two which shouldn't be out of the question if they truly want to make a push for a Stanley Cup.