Brandt Clarke
All the moves the Kings made in the offseason and how the preseason has gone in terms of the extra time on ice, it seems like they are committed to putting Brandt Clarke in the role he should have been last season. Head coach Jim Hiller seemed to have Clarke on a short leash over the course of the season, and Clarke's role fluctuated a lot.
Even with that, Clarke still led the Kings defensemen in points with 33 after registering five goals and 28 assists. This season, it wouldn't be surprising to see Clarke be closer to 18 minutes per game and with that little extra ice time, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think he couldn't surpass 40 points this season.
Alex Laferriere
In his second full season in the NHL, Alex Laferriere made a huge jump in terms of production as he almost doubled his points from 23 in his rookie season to 42 last season. The talent is undoubtedly there, and playing on a line with Quinton Byfield is going to set him up to make another jump in terms of production.
If Byfield is going to improve on his assist total, someone is going to have to score those goals, and Laferriere is the player most likely to stand to benefit. Last season, Laferriere had 19 goals after registering 12 in his rookie season.
What is impressive about his total, and why he should beat it this season is that he started off the season with 11 goals in the first 25 games. If he kept that average over the entire season, he would have finished with over 35 goals.
Now that he is in his third season and is even more comfortable with the rigors of a full NHL season, he should be able to maintain that production for longer over the course of the season. This season, Laferriere should be closer to 30 goals when it is all said and done.