How the LA Kings can push for the Stanley Cup

As the upcoming NHL season approaches, the Los Angeles Kings find themselves in an exciting position. After a period of rebuilding and retooling, the Kings are poised to make a strong push for the top spot in the Pacific Division.

With a talented roster, a promising crop of young players, and a dedicated coaching staff, the Kings have the potential to reclaim their former glory and become serious contenders once again.

Years of rebuilding have led the Kings to a stage of the fight. At this point, the Kings aren’t looking back and they’ll do whatever they can to push for the cup. The acquisitions of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Kevin Fiala prove that the Kings are going all in.

Today, we’ll go over how the Kings could push for the Stanley Cup in 2024.

Strong Leadership and Coaching

One of the key ingredients for success in any sports team is strong leadership, and the Los Angeles Kings have it in abundance. Under the guidance of head coach Todd McLellan, who has a wealth of experience and a proven track record, the Kings have steadily improved. It’s important to remember that McLellan’s ability to develop young talent and instill a winning culture will be crucial to the team’s success.

McLellan is in the last year of his contract. Not only will he want to push the Kings to win the cup for his success, but his job relies on the season ahead of him.

A significant aspect of the Kings’ rebuilding process under McLellan has been the development and integration of young talent. McLellan has been entrusted with nurturing promising prospects and guiding them toward becoming impactful NHL players.

If the Kings have kept McLellan around for this long, they trust him with the young players. Now, it’ll be up to him to push the young players into regular roster roles so that they could contribute.

The LA Kings possess a talented group of young players who will be key contributors to the team’s success. However, the transition to the NHL can be challenging, and this is where the veterans’ leadership becomes crucial.

The experienced players can serve as mentors, providing guidance and support to the younger ones. They can offer advice on adapting to the demands of the league, managing pressure, and maintaining a professional mindset.

By leaning on the veterans for mentorship, the young players can accelerate their growth and development. Both on and off the ice. It’ll be up to players like Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Trevor Lewis to help push the younger players into becoming consistent contributors.

Development of Young Talent

The LA Kings boast an impressive pool of young talent that has been steadily making their mark in the league. Players like Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte, Arthur Kaliyev, and Brandt Clarke have showcased their skills at various levels and are ready to take the NHL by storm. These young stars, coupled with the seasoned veterans on the team, create a perfect blend of youth and experience.

The playoffs demand adaptability, resilience, and mental fortitude. The experience gained by young players during regular-season battles and potential playoff appearances can be invaluable in their development.

While often overshadowed by offensive exploits, the development of young talent on the defensive end is equally significant. The LA Kings’ young defensemen, such as Mikey Anderson and Tobias Bjornfot, have demonstrated promising potential. Their growth and maturation contribute to a solid defensive corps that can shut down opponents’ top lines, block shots, and play a responsible two-way game.

With the guidance of experienced veterans like Drew Doughty, these young defensemen can blossom into reliable pillars on the blue line. They’ll anchor the team’s defensive efforts in pursuit of a championship.

Offensive Depth

With established stars like Anze Kopitar and Pierre-Luc Dubois leading the way, the Kings have a strong foundation up front. Additionally, players like Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe, and the aforementioned young talents will provide secondary scoring and depth on the roster. Their offensive depth will make them a formidable opponent, capable of overwhelming their opponents with a balanced attack.

Younger guys like Arthur Kaliyev and Quinton Byfield are long overdue offensive explosions. The Kings will rely on them, as well as oodles of other forwards, to bring offensive help every night.

The LA Kings finished 10th in the NHL in goals per game in 2022-23, with 3.34. It’s no doubt that they’ll be able to improve that, as the young players will continue to score while the new addition of Dubois will help bolster the scoring.

In today’s NHL, contributions from defensemen are increasingly vital to a team’s success. The LA Kings’ offensive depth extends beyond their forwards to include talented and offensively-gifted defensemen.

Players like Drew Doughty and Vladislav Gavrikov possess the ability to join the rush. They contribute to the power play and generate scoring chances from the blue line. Even Matt Roy had a terrific offensive outing last year, scoring nine goals and 26 points in 82 games.

The offensive contributions from the defense add to the Kings’ scoring depth. It also provides an extra dimension that can catch opponents off guard and create additional scoring opportunities.

Generating advantage on the powerplay

The LA Kings shocked everyone in 2022-23, as they finished fourth in the NHL on the powerplay. A total flipside from the previous year, the Kings’ powerplay finished with 25.3%. Assistant coach Jim Hiller is to thank for that. He boosted the way the Kings move the puck on the powerplay. Additionally, a much-needed addition of the bumper role on the powerplay, which the Kings saw success from.

The success of a power play often hinges on offensive firepower, and the LA Kings possess the necessary tools to excel in this aspect. With a combination of skilled forwards, talented defensemen, and effective puck movement, the Kings’ power play unit is a force to be reckoned with.

The likes of Anze Kopitar, and Drew Doughty, and young stars such as Quinton Byfield and Arthur Kaliyev bring a blend of playmaking ability, scoring touch, and hockey IQ that can dissect opposing penalty kills. Kaliyev will look to continue his powerplay success by utilizing his shot. Byfield will play net-front and continue to try and create chances from there. He didn’t play on special teams too often last year, but that could change this year.

PDoughty and Kopitar have been running LA’s powerplay for years. With the success they’ve seen, it’s in all likelihood they’ll remain there. The offensive firepower of the Kings’ power play unit will create numerous scoring chances and keep opponents on their heels.

A successful power play not only generates goals but also provides a team with a surge of confidence and momentum. The LA Kings’ strong power play unit will build confidence among the players, knowing they can capitalize on opponents’ penalties.

Playing with confidence and knowing what to do gave the Kings a swagger. It has also helped players like Adrian Kempe excel in powerplay. In previous years, the Kings would back out from effective and dangerous plays. They wouldn’t attempt risky plays and they’d avoid tic-tac-toe plays. This past year, the Kings took risks and relied on their talent to mesh together to make highly skilled plays. Luckily for them, it worked.

As long as the Kings maintain their powerplay abilities from last year, they’ll be more than fine. As for their penalty kill, it’ll need a glow-up. It doesn’t help that the Kings lost some of their best killers in Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari, but they’ll look to improve with what they have. The Kings had a PK percentage of 75.8%, which was bad enough to be 24th in the NHL.

The Kings will likely rely on Kempe’s offensive abilities to break out pucks on the penalty kill, while additionally using the help of the veterans in Anze Kopitar and Trevor Lewis. It’ll be interesting to see how the Kings handle their penalty-killing. Truth be told, if the Kings figure out the PK, they’ll be pushing for first in the Pacific division with no issues.

The competition in the Pacific Division is fierce. The Los Angeles Kings have all the necessary ingredients to finish first next season. With strong leadership, the development of young talent, offensive depth, and proper special teams, the Kings have the potential to make a strong push for the top spot.

With their sights set on the Pacific Division title, the Kings are ready to reclaim their throne and establish themselves as one of the league’s elite teams once again. Fans can expect an exciting and competitive season as the Kings embark on their journey toward greatness. Who knows, maybe the flaws disappear like magic during the playoffs, and the Kings may win the cup.

Cover image courtesy of Andrew Bernstein/NHLI via Getty Images.