The Los Angeles Kings are going into a critical final stretch run of this regular season in the West in the Pacific Division this upcoming week on the ice and in the standings in the next few days. In the standings in the West in the Pacific Division this regular season, the Kings are fighting for their playoff hopes amid a poorly timed down stretch on the ice and in the win column this past week.
Analyzing the roster lineup from the Los Angeles Kings for Ken Holland this regular season in the West
While the Kings are still fighting for their playoff hopes this upcoming postseason in the playoffs in the West this regular season this upcoming spring, the team has to fight in some winnable games this upcoming week on the ice.
This past few months in the West, the KIngs have had trouble getting out of their own way on the ice this regular season in the Pacific Division and in the standings. The Kings and new interim head coach DJ Smith were expected to be in the playoffs this upcoming postseason in the West this past preseason.
Smith and the Kings need to produce the results on the ice and in the win column in the standings in the West this regular season for this upcoming postseason this spring.
This past offseason in the summer of 2025, new general manager Ken Holland and the Kings had questionable moves to build the active roster lineup on the blue line on defense and in the core forward lines group up front this past few months.
The Kings and Holland in the front office signed a veteran defensive pairing on the blue line this past offseason in the summer of 2025 in Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci to long-term contracts for the foreseeable future after this current season in the West. Dumoulin and Ceci are both under contract at least through the end of the 2027-28 season, and are being paid at least $4 million in average annual value this past offseason.
The defensive pairing of Ceci and Dumoulin for the Kings on the blue line have registered a -5 plus/minus in this past couple of games in losses to the Buffalo Sabres and Mammoth this past week on the ice since last weekend and late last week.
In this past few months in the West in the Pacific Division this regular season, Holland and the Kings have been seeing the benefits of the active roster lineup signing players like goalie Anton Forsberg and veteran forward Joel Armia offensively.
I don't think anyone has a problem with the signings this past summer in 2025 in free agency of Forsberg and Armia for the Kings in this past offseason last year. Andre Leal of The Hockey News pointed out the positive signings the Kings and Holland made this past summer in the 2025 offseason with Armia and Forsberg for the team in the Pacific Division.
Leal noted that Ceci and Dumoulin were on the blue line on defense for the Kings for every goal the Mammoth scored on the ice vs. the Kings this past weekend. The Kings could be locked in with the defensive pairing of Ceci and Dumoulin on the blue line in the West for the next few years in the late 2020s decade in the active roster lineup in the Pacific Division.