Alex Laferriere has emerged as one of the Los Angeles Kings most underrated and promising young forwards in this past couple of seasons.
In this past regular season, Laferriere scored 20 goals and played over 1,500 minutes on the ice for the first time in his NHL career. He's also emerged as a consistent and valuable secondary scorer for the Kings' forward group, scoring at least 40 total points in the last two consecutive seasons.
He has progressed on a pretty linear curve for the Kings in the last few seasons. Laferriere has increased his point total in each of his three seasons in his NHL career. As a result, he's earned more time on the ice per game year-over-year.
The question now for Laferriere is whether he can make that leap to become a consistent 25 or 30-goal scorer for the Kings this upcoming season, and convert on more of the scoring chances he's able to generate in the offensive zone.
Alex Laferriere 2025-26 player season recap
2025-26 season stats: 82 games played, 21 goals, 23 assists, 44 points, +3
2025-26 advanced stats: 10.0 shooting %, 15.8 5-on-5 shooting %, 1.8 points/60, 4.4 point shares, 0.8 WAR
2025-26 possession metrics: 52.8 CF%, 54.8 SCF%, 98.9 PDO, 53.7 HDCF%
Setting or tying new career highs in goals scored, assists, total points, and shorthanded goals, Laferriere established himself as a reliable source of secondary scoring this past season. After scoring 20 goals and 40 points for the first time in his NHL career in the 2024-25 campaign, he proved this past regular season that it wasn't a fluke.
Laferriere has shown himself to be a reliable middle-six scorer and a versatile two-way forward who can play both wing and center for the Kings. He nearly won 200 faceoffs last season as he played over a dozen games at the center position due to injuries and positional need.
Laferriere found multiple ways to contribute to the Kings on both sides of the ice this past regular season. He was the only forward in the NHL this past regular season with multiple shorthanded goals and at least 250 hits.
Alex Laferriere was the only NHL forward last season to record multiple shorthanded goals AND 250+ hits. pic.twitter.com/NctopKsEOv
— Rink Royalty (@RinkRoyalty) August 26, 2026
He also played some of his best hockey toward the end of the regular season, scoring five goals and 15 total points in the season's final 15 games.
Laferriere was a significant impact player for the Kings in the postseason in the first round vs. the Colorado Avalanche. He scored a team-high four assists and four points in four games played vs. Colorado in the playoffs last spring.
Alex Laferriere 2026-27 Los Angeles Kings season preview
We have projected Laferriere to play on the third forward line for the Kings this upcoming season, alongside veteran center Scott Laughton and speedy winger Trevor Moore. He played most of this past regular season on the second forward line for the Kings.
While that would be a bit of a step back in terms of minutes on the ice and role in the middle six forward group, Laferriere could also view this as an opportunity to make the most of his versatility and the depth he provides to this position.
If injuries pile up in the top six, or other players struggle to produce offensively, Laferriere has the offensive chops and the versatility to move up in the lineup quickly. He really is a forward who can play anywhere in the top nine, thanks to his versatility to play on the wing or at center when necessary.
It will be interesting to see whether Laferriere can emerge as a consistent contributor for the Kings on special teams on the power play this upcoming season. He registered a career-high three goals on special teams on the power play for the Kings this past regular season, but he only saw his minutes on the top two units increase slightly year-over-year.
Laferriere still only scored three goals on the power play while receiving over 130 minutes on special teams last season.
If Laferriere can move up in the lineup and make the most of the scoring opportunities and high-danger chances he gets around the net, he could turn into a reliable 25-goal scorer for the Kings this upcoming season.
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