Let’s take a look at LA Kings 2023-2024 Season Recap/Review. For the 2023-2024 season, the Kings had a great start but things fell apart for them mid-season and they hardly recovered to finish with a record of 44 wins - 27 losses - 11 OT losses, resulting with 99 points, finishing the season in 3rd place in the Pacific division. They went 22-12-7 at home and 22-15-4 on the road. If you remember, the Kings set a new National Hockey League record for the longest road-win streak to start a season in league history with a 11-0-0 record. Things were going great for them then but it didn't last. This gave them the 12th best record in the whole NHL (32 teams) this season. On April 11, 2024, the LA Kings officially clinched a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They scored 256 goals, and allowed 215 goals. They had 1,776 hits and 1,267 blocks. The LA Kings did a good job keeping penalty minutes low by a team this season, with 715 minutes in the box, 21st most in the league. They went on to play the Edmonton Oilers in the 1st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 3rd year in a row, losing 4 games and winning 1. 3rd year in a row they were eliminated by the Oilers. A team with a bunch of young talent, potential to be the best, and a lot to learn. Let's take a 2023-2024 season review on the Los Angeles Kings.
Head Coach: Todd McLellan (5th year, Oct. 11 – Feb. 2, fired) Jim Hiller (interim, Feb. 2 – present)
General Manager: Rob Blake (7th year)
Captain: Anze Kopitar
Alternate Captain: Phillip Danault
Drew Doughty
LA Kings roster review:
The Ducks rolled with 29 different players playing this season for them.
GOALIES -
The Goaltending was surprisingly pretty nice for not having any star goalies. Yeah they had bad games but throughout the year it was solid and someone was even called to the All-Star Game. The Kings played 3 goalies this season. So who were the Goalies?
Cam Talbot completed his 1st year as a King and was the primary goaltender this season starting 52 games and playing a total of 54 games. Talbot, 36, is a veteran goalie spending 11 years in the NHL as undrafted goalie. This year he was selected as an All-Star in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game for the 2nd time in his career. He was also the only Kings player to be an All-Star. For the season, he won 27, lost 20, had 6 overtime losses, allowed 2.50 GAA (7th in the NHL among qualified goalies), .913 SV% (10th in NHL), saved 1361 of 1490, had 3 assists (tied for 2nd most in NHL), and had 3 shutouts. Pretty nice season for Talbot. In the postseason, however, he started 3 games, allowed 16 goals, saving only 99 shots of 116. Not good. Talbot was a great goalie and it will be interesting to see if the Kings bring him back as he is a free agent this offseason.
David Rittich served as the Kings primary backup goalie this season. He completed his first year as a King as week. Rittich this season started 22 games and playing a total of 24 games. For the season, he won 13, lost 6, had 3 overtime losses, allowed 2.15 GAA, .921 SV%, saved 572 of 621, and had 3 shutouts. Not bad for a backup goalie. In the postseason, however, he started 2 games, allowed 5 goals, saving 34 shots of 39. David Rittich will be a free agent this offseason.
Finally, our third goalie was Pheonix Copley. Copley played 8 games before catching a season-ending ACL surgery in December. In 8 games, he won 4, lost 1, had 2 overtime losses, allowed 3.16 GAA, .870 SV%, saved 154 of 177, and had 1 shutout. Copley was not himself prior to the injury as well. He'll be a free agent this year so that leaves Kings with all 3 of their goalies from this year in risk of not returning for next season.
DEFENCEMEN -
The defense was for the Kings was solid and pretty productive this season. Together they scored 34 goals and provided 123 assists. So who were the defencemen?
First off, Drew Doughty, our longest tenured defensive player completing his 16th season as a King. Doughty was one of the teams alternate captain. He recorded his 500th assist on February 29, 2024 and has played over 1,100 career games. Doughty also had 7 game winning goals and 3 game-winning goals this season. In 82 games, he scored 15 goals, had 35 assists, 50 points, a +15 +/- rating, and had 44 penalty minutes. Not a bad year for a 34 year old. In the Postseason, he scored 2 goals, had 1 assist, with a -4 +/- rating in 5 games.
Vladislav Gavrikov finished his 2nd season as a King. In 77 games, he scored 6 goals, had 17 assists, 23 points, a +9 +/- rating, and had 28 penalty minutes. In the Postseason, he had 2 assists with a 0 +/- rating in 5 games.
Matt Roy finished his 6th season as a King. In 81 games, he scored 5 goals, had 20 assists, 25 points, 187 blocks (7th most in NHL), a +21 +/- rating (2nd highest on team), and had 42 penalty minutes. Whenever he was on the ice, the team was playing well. In the Postseason, he had 2 assists with a +1 +/- rating in 5 games. Roy will be a free agent and Kings should try to re-sign him.
Andreas Englund completed his first year as a King. Englund led the Kings in fights this year with 11 which is tied for the most in the NHL this season. He also had 1 in the postseason. In 82 games, he scored 1 goal, had 9 assists, 10 points, a -3 +/- rating, and had 81 penalty minutes (most on team). In the Postseason, he had 1 assist with a +1 +/- rating in 5 games.
Mikey Anderson finished his fifth year with the Kings. Anderson was one of the most productive players on the team. In 74 games, he scored 2 goals, had 16 assists, 18 points, a +22 +/- rating (best on team), and had 18 penalty minutes. Anderson was high on the +/- rating and low on the penalty minutes. In the Postseason, he had 1 goal, 2 assists, with a -1 +/- rating in 5 games.
Jordan Spence completed his third year as a King. He played his first full season and was solid. In 71 games, he scored 2 goals, had 22 assists, 24 points, a +5 +/- rating, and had 12 penalty minutes. In the Postseason, he had 1 assist, with a +2 +/- rating in 5 games. Solid for the Kings this year.
Jacob Moverare completed his third year as a King. He played just 24 games as most of his game were in the AHL. In the NHL, he scored 1 goals, a +0 +/- rating, and had 6 penalty minutes. In the Postseason, he did not play.
Brandt Clarke spent some time with the Kings this year and most of his time in the AHL. Clarke played 16 games in the NHL, he scored 2 goals, had 4 assists, 6 points, a -6 +/- rating, and had 10 penalty minutes. In the Postseason, he did not play. Clarke should get some more playing time next season as he is the future for the Kings.
Lastly, Tobias Björnfot played just one game for the Kings before being placed on waivers and claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights one day later. He spent 4 seasons with the Kings prior to being waived and just didn't meet expectations.
FORWARDS -
The Kings forwards were very nice this season but not the greatest. They had some forwards who had nice years and some who had bad ones. So who were the Kings Forwards?
First off, Anže Kopitar, the Kings Captain and longest tenured player. Even at 36, he is still looking very nice. At the beginning of the season, Kopitar passed Dustin Brown as leader of games played in the Kings franchise history. On 3 December, Kopitar passed Marcel Dionne to become the all-time assists leader in Kings franchise history. He also recorded his 1,200th NHL point this season. Kopitar also had 9 power-play goals and 6 game-winning goals (led team) this season. In 81 games, he scored 26 goals, 44 assists, 22 penalty minutes, and a +11 +/- rating. Kopitar is still very nice for the Kings but I wouldn't categorize him as a star. Still a wonderful year for him! In the Postseason, he had 1 goal, 2 assists, with a 0 +/- rating in 5 games.
Adrian Kempe completed his 8th season as a King. He had a career high 75 point and 47 assists this season, also leading the Kings. Kempe had 5 power play goals, 3 short-handed goals (led team), and 4 game-winning goals this season. In 77 games, he scored 28 goals, 47 assists (led team), 75 points (led team), 72 penalty minutes (2nd most on team), and a +13 +/- rating. In the Postseason, he had one of the best performances scoring 4 goals (led team), 1 assist, with a -1 +/- rating in 5 games. Kempe has been nice and reliable for the Kings.
Next up, Kevin Fiala finished his 2nd season of a 7 year contract as a King. Fiala had 11 power play goals (led team) and 2 game-winning goals this season. In 82 games, he scored 29 goals, 44 assists, 62 penalty minutes , and a +1 +/- rating. In the Postseason, he had 1 goal, 1 assist, with a +1 +/- rating in 5 games.
Trevor Moore completed his 5th season and had his best season this year. Moore had 5 game winning goals this season. In 82 games, he scored 31 goals (led team), 26 assists, 28 penalty minutes , and a +11 +/- rating. In the Postseason, he had 1 goal with a -1 +/- rating in 5 games.
Former number 2 overall pick, Quinton Byfield, had a breakout season this year after many thought he was a bust. He had 6 power play goals and 4 game winning goals this season. In 80 games, he scored 20 goals, 35 assists, 42 penalty minutes , and a +19 +/- rating. In the Postseason, he had 4 assists (led team) with a +4 +/- rating in 5 games. Really nice.
Phillip Danault was one of the Kings alternate captains and he compalted his 3rd year as a King. In 78 games, he scored 17 goals, 30 assists, 18 penalty minutes , and a +12 +/- rating. In the Postseason, he had 1 assist with a +0 +/- rating in 5 games.
Pierre-Luc Dubois completed his first year as a King and was probably the most disappointing King this season. In the previous offseason, he was acquired in exchange for Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and Gabriel Vilardi and a 2024 second-round draft pick. Upon being traded, Dubois signed an eight-year, $68 million contract. With that kind of trade and that kind of money there are high expectations which he did not meet. In all 82 games, he scored 16 goals, 24 assists, 70 penalty minutes , and a -9 +/- rating. Terrible. In the Postseason, he had 1 assist with a +0 +/- rating in 5 games. It is said that Kings will not do a contract buyout. Dubois, 25, is still young so hopefully next season will be better.
Alex Laferriere finished his first season as a King after being drafted by them in 2020. In 81 games, he scored 7 goals, 8 assists, 20 penalty minutes , and a +11 +/- rating. In the Postseason, he had 1 goal and a 0 +/- rating in 5 games.
Blake Lizotte finished up his 6th season as a King. In 62 games, he scored 12 goals, 11 assists, 46 penalty minutes , and a -14 +/- rating. In the Postseason, he had a -1 +/- rating in 5 games.
Viktor Arvidsson finished his 3rd year as a King. Unfortunately he didn't play much this season due to injury and he was really needed. Arvidsson missed the first 50 games of the season due to back injury. He returned but after 3 games, went back on the IL for a handful of games. Arvidsson ended up only playing 18 games this season not including postseason. In the regular season, he scored 6 goals, 9 assists, 14 penalty minutes , and a +4 +/- rating. In the Postseason, he had a 3 assists and a -1 +/- rating in 5 games.
Carl Grundström finished his 6th season as a King. Grundström also missed some time with injury this season. In 50 games, he scored 8 goals, 4 assists, 12 penalty minutes , and a -2 +/- rating. In the Postseason, he had a 0 +/- rating in 5 games.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan started the year with the Kings before being waived in March. The Kings simply didn't have a roster spot for him. In 30 games with the Kings this season, he scored 1 goals, 3 assists, 6 penalty minutes , and a -4 +/- rating.
Former 2019 5th overall pick, Alex Turcotte, saw some time in the NHL this season but did not do too much. In 20 games with the Kings this season, he scored 1 goals, 3 assists, 6 penalty minutes , and a +5 +/- rating. Turcotte, 23, can one day be a main guy for the Kings one day.
Top prospect, Akil Thomas, saw some time in the NHL as well. After having a solid season in the AHL, he was called up in March. In 7 games with the Kings this season, he scored 3 goals, 1 assists, 2 penalty minutes , and a +0 +/- rating. Turcotte, 24, can also one day be a main guy for the Kings one day.
Samuel Fagemo played a few games with the Kings this year before being waived. In 4 games, he had a -1 +/- rating.
So, that's everybody who played at least 1 game for the Kings this season. It was a pretty solid roster but there were some disappointments and some big injuries. Had that not happened, Kings could have been a championship team.
Of the players that played this season, Kings will have 13 free agents (7 restricted, 6 unrestricted). According to Spotrac, they have $23,625,000 cap space to re-sign those players or find new ones. Not a lot. Those Free agents include:
Viktor Arvidsson (UFA)
Quinton Byfield (RFA)
Matt Roy (UFA)
Alex Turcotte (RFA)
Cam Talbot (UFA)
Blake Lizotte (RFA)
Pheonix Copley (UFA)
Carl Grundström (RFA)
Arthur Kaliyev (RFA)
Jordan Spence (RFA)
David Rittich (UFA)
Trevor Lewis (UFA)
Akil Thomas (RFA)
Some of the Free agents had really nice seasons so Kings should look into re-signing them. They will also need a goalie. Rob Blake will have a busy off-season and hopefully a good one. He will need sign players and maybe look to his prospects. Let's see what happens.
LA Kings honestly have the team to win it all. They got off to a really good start this season and had one of the best records in the league but they just could not keep up the momentum. Todd McLellan could not just find the answers to be consistently great and teams figured him out. After having a record of 20-7-4 and one of the best records, they just started to crash. Ever since that record, they lost 14 of their next 16 and eventually McLellan was fired. Interim coach, Jim Hiller, was able to pick things up but it wasn't enough and he too could not be too consistent. This made them finish low in playoff contention and made them face their doom in the playoffs (Edmonton Oilers). Maybe if Kings can find a solid coach this off-season (who can find answers against teams like Oilers), a championship could be right in front of them. Let's see.
Kings Team Awards:
Most Valuable Player: Adrian Kempe. He led the team in scoring, notching a career-high 73 points (28-47=75) through 77 games and a +13 +/- rating. In the Postseason, he had one of the best performances scoring 4 goals (led team), 1 assist, with a -1 +/- rating in 5 games.
Best Newcomer: Cam Talbot. In his first season with the Kings, Cam Talbot was selected to represent the club at his second career NHL All-Star Game. Talbot maintained he won 27, lost 20, had 6 overtime losses, allowed 2.50 GAA (7th in the NHL among qualified goalies), .913 SV% (10th in NHL), saved 1361 of 1490, had 3 assists (tied for 2nd most in NHL), and had 3 shutouts. At the beginning of the campaign, Talbot established a road record of 9-0-0 which tied the NHL record for the longest season-opening road win streak by a goaltender.
Outstanding Defenseman: Drew Doughty. Doughty is poised to lead all Kings blueliners in scoring for the fourth consecutive year and 13th time overall with his fifth career 50-point season (15-35=50), the most by a defenseman in franchise history. Doughty finished top-five in the league in time-on-ice for the 10th consecutive season and 12th time overall in his 16-season career. Among all Kings defensemen, Doughty leads the team in goals (15), assists (35), power-play goals (7), power-play points (20), game-winning goals (3) while sitting second in blocked shots (142), takeaways (19) and penalties drawn (12) and fourth in hits (108).
So there you have it. That's a quick recap of the LA Kings for the 2023-2024 season. See you next season!
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