Most opinions in the media of the Los Angeles Kings going into the upcoming 2026-27 season are that this is still at least a fringe playoff team in a pretty weak Pacific Division.
The Hockey Writers placed the Kings in the fourth tier, with the group "trending in the wrong direction" going into this upcoming season.
While that may seem like a brutal label for the Kings late this offseason, it makes sense given some of the key roster losses and struggles the team faced on the ice this past regular season. First, the Kings lost center captain Anze Kopitar to retirement following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, meaning Los Angeles loses one of the franchise's most important players.
The Los Angeles Kings still have plenty to prove
This past regular season, the Kings finished up with a -22 goal differential, which was the worst of any team that made the playoffs in the Western Conference. Offensive struggles defined the Kings issues to consistently succeed this past regular season, as the team ranked in the bottom five in the NHL in goals scored per game.
Even though the Kings do have some issues offensively, the blue line isn't perfect either. The Kings still have some major question marks defensively, including finding a puck-moving defenseman who can add playmaking and offense generation to the top four on the blue line.
Maybe the surest situation for the Kings is in goal, with two solid veterans challenging for the starting job going into training camp and the preseason this fall. But even the goaltending situation has some question marks since there isn't a clear starter, despite Anton Forsberg taking the job down the stretch this past spring and in the postseason.
On a positive note, the Kings do have more reasons to be optimistic about the team taking a step forward offensively this upcoming season. The Kings will get a full season out of star forward Artemi Panarin, and they have another proven veteran to bolster the playmaking in the top six forward group with the newly-signed former Minnesota Wild winger Mats Zuccarello.
Los Angeles is also hoping that young forwards Quinton Byfield, Alex Laferriere, and Alex Turcotte will take the next step this upcoming season.
The Kings definitely have more talent and proven experience than they did a year ago. But until this team can prove that they can consistently score, replace Kopitar's leadership, and advance beyond the first round, it's fiar to place them well outside of the group of the NHL's true Stanley Cup contenders.
The offseason additions have raised the ceiling, but they'll still have to earn their way into a higher tier once the upcoming season begins.
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