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NHL Lottery Preview: Los Angeles Kings’ Needs

  Los Angeles Kings Review

  • 2020-21 Record [21-28-7]
  • Division rank [6th in the West]

The Los Angeles Kings are in a rebuild and have been amassing young prospects. Some talent has seen playing time while others spend time in the minor leagues as the team begins to ease veteran names out of the picture. The veterans still showed that they still have it, as the old guard was playing well and being the team’s leading scorers, while the struggles of the young players are what held them back. What are some key pieces they can look for in the draft and in the offseason?

Offensive Needs

Los Angeles struggled in 5-on-5 play. The Kings averaged 2.54 goals per game, 27th in the NHL. Center Anze Kopitar was their leading scorer with 50 points, and Dustin Brown was the top goal scorer with 17. Center Gabriel Vilardi struggled in his second year in the league. The 21-year-old could only produce 23 points in 54 games, and he finished with a -8 +/-. Who is available for trade or to sign?  The dream would be Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, but that is just a dream as he will be retained. Their best bet might be Taylor Hall who has regained his form with Boston after a bad stint in Buffalo.

Rasmus Kupari of the Los Angeles Kings skates back during a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues
Harry How/Getty Images/AFP

Defensive Needs

The defense has not been that great, either, but they have been bailed out by their goalie. Los Angeles finished allowing an average of 3.02 goals per game, and the theme continues with their young defenseman struggling. The Kings have loads of cap space, so the defense could be a priority, and they will look to fill the space with a player that can help the defense immediately. Drafting a defenseman does not seem likely for the Kings as Mikey Anderson, and Matt Roy are young backliners who had a decent year for the Kings.

Goaltending Needs

Calvin Petersen makes Los Angeles’ defense look a lot better despite a 9-18-5 record. Petersen finished with a .911 save percentage. With the No. 1 goalie being 26, it does not seem as though they have plans to draft a replacement. Jonathan Quick is the backup to Petersen, and he had a good year as well, finishing with an 11-9 2 record. His save percentage was .898. Quick is a great veteran presence on the team, and it shows with the improved play of Petersen.

Lottery Prospects

Los Angeles is guaranteed a top-10 pick and has slim chances to land one of the first two picks. The Kings’ chances of getting the No. 1 come in at 5.8% and the chances of locking up the No. 2 is 6%.

The pick the Kings have the highest percentage of grabbing is the No. 8, and adding another top 10 selection to a loaded pipeline could mean big things.

Some experts project Michigan center Kent Johnson will be picked by the Kings. This seems logical as Los Angeles needs help scoring, and Johnson could be the third Wolverine taken in the top 10 with teammates Owen Power and Matthew Beniers.

Better Luck Next Year

Stanley Cup Odds: +8500

The Kings are long shots to hoist the Stanley Cup at the end of the 2021-2022 season. During the season, you could point to individual players doing well, but as a team, there is still a lot to improve. This is a young team that still has growing pains to get through and, with an expansion draft approaching, another inexperienced player is destined to fill the void of whomever the Seattle Kraken take.

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