4 Los Angeles Kings under the most pressure entering the 2024-25
The 2024-25 season is quickly approaching and the Los Angeles Kings are entering with pretty high expectations. They have made the playoffs for three straight seasons but haven't advanced past the first round since their Stanley Cup at the end of the 2013-14 season.
Unfortunately, the season seemed to only get tougher for the Kings after losing Drew Doughty for a good portion of the season due to a fractured ankle suffered in the preseason. He will be back at some point but it is almost impossible to replace what he brings to this team.
in addition to Doughty's absence, there are a number of players who will be expected to have bigger roles this season along with a few that are trying to have bounce back years with the Kings.
With that in mind, these are four players on the Los Angeles Kings who are under the most pressure entering the season.
Alex Laferriere
Last year, Alex Laferriere was a pleasant surprise coming out of preseason as he would end up making the Kings' roster and play 81 games. He had 12 goals and 11 assists in his first season in the NHL but now finds himself in a much more prominent role in his second season.
For most of the preseason, Laferriere has been the left wing on the top line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. There is no reason to move him off that line because he played very well over the past month. He would even score two goals in the first preseason game against the Anaheim Ducks.
On paper, Laferriere might look like a weakness for the Kings entering the season. However, with two veterans like Kopitar and Kempe, he could find himself in favorable situations and if he can capitalize it would be a great boost for this team.
Jordan Spence
The player who is probably under the most pressure due to Drew Doughty's injury is Jordan Spence, who now steps in as one of the two defensemen on the top line. Similar to Laferriere, Spence's first full season in the NHL was this past season as he would play in 71 games, after only 30 in the two seasons prior.
Spence looked good last season with a +/- of 5 and a Corsi For Percentage of 56.4% when teams were at even strength. However, he only averaged 14:26 on ice and being on the top line, that average should jump significantly.
It will be interesting to see if Spence continues to play at a high level with the increased time on ice. The pairing with Mikey Anderson should defintely help and if the former fourth-round pick can take advantage of the additional opportunities, the defense is just going to be that much better once Doughty returns.
Tanner Jeannot
The Los Angeles Kings traded for Tanner Jeannot this offseason and the pressure he is under is not so much from the team or because of the role. The reason that Jeannot makes this list is because he will want to put behind a forgetful run with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Jeannot had a breakout season with the Nashville Predators during the 2021-22 season with 24 goals and 17 assists. The Lightning believed he was a player who was only scratching the surface and traded a lot to the Predators during the following season, including a first round pick.
However, he would end up playing only 75 games over a season and a half with only 18 points and a +/- of -16. The Lightning decided to cut their losses and traded him to the Kings for a 2024 fourth-round and 2025 second-round pick.
Jeannot is now in the final year of his contract and if he wants to maximize free agency, he can do that with a big season with the Kings. This would help teams chalk up his time with the Lightning as nothing more than a bad fit.
Darcy Kuemper
Another player the Los Angeles Kings traded for this offseason was goalie Darcy Kuemper. He is in a similar position to Jeannot in that he wants to put the past few seasons behind him and show he is better than what he has shown recently.
The last two years Kuemper played for the Washington Capitals and started 86 games but had his lowest save percentage (.902) and highest goals against average (3.03) of any of the five NHL teams he has played for over his career.
A positive to point towards is that his best totals of his career in those categories were in 2017-18 when he was with the Los Angeles Kings. He would go 10-1-3 with a save percentage of .932 and goals against average of 2.10 before the Kings traded him near the trade deadline that season.
Aside from the left wing position, the goaltender position might be another top concern for the Kings this season. However, if Kuemper can bounce back with David Rittich sharing the responsibilities they could give the Kings enough to be successful this season.
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