The Los Angeles Kings and new general manager Ken Holland had a busy offseason, shaping the roster and the forward group to be a more physical and experienced core for the projected roster lines in the upcoming 2025-26 season in the West.
Can the Los Angeles Kings jump in the standings in terms of win percentage in the West this season?
Holland signed players who not only had familiarity with him in the systems in the past with the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers in the 2020s decade, but also older and more proven players with a physical edge and grit in their game profile. The Kings also brought in more proven experience and physicality to the blue line with age, adding veteran signings to the defensive core earlier this offseason in the summer like Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin.
LA lost defensemen Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence to the Eastern Conference this past free agent cycle, which will impact the Kings top-six blue line core this upcoming season.
Corey Perry helped to upgrade the Kings' forward core for the upcoming season in the West. He's helped the Oilers reach back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals appearances in the playoffs in the West since 2023.
The Kings were in a small group of three teams from the West in the Pacific Division that The Hockey Writers included in a piece that said questions were left unanswered by LA's front office and Holland earlier in the summer. This piece questions the blue-line signings Holland and the Kings pulled off in free agency.
The goaltender depth for the Kings was boosted this summer with former Ottawa Senator Anton Forsberg. The Kings and head coach Jim Hiller have a capable and proven backup goalie who can help take pressures off the shoulders of starter Darcy Kuemper with the experienced and proven Forsberg playing in net this upcoming season for LA.
Top-six forward line scoring and depth along with the stability of the new-look blue line core will be uncertain for the Kings going into the 2025-26 season this fall. Holland didn't answer many of the questions or major priority roster needs on the depth chart for the Kings this summer in the offseason.
The physicality and experience advantage the Kings have with depth and talent on the projected roster for this season in the Pacific Division will be crucial to improve the team's win percentage against playoff teams in the West. The Kings need to get past the first round in the postseason in the playoffs against the Oilers from the Pacific Division.