2024-25 Fantasy Hockey Team Preview: Los Angeles Kings

Is this Quinton Byfield's team yet?

44-27-11, 99 Pts. 3rd Pacific, 12th Overall

3.10 GF/GP (16th), 2.56 GA/GP (3rd), 22.6 PP% (12th), 84.6 PK% (2nd)

Top scorer: Adrian Kempe. 77 GP. 28-47-75, 72 PIM, 27 PPP, 246 Shots, 112 Hits, 18:56 TOI/GP

2024-25 BetMGM Stanley Cup Odds:

Opening: +2200
Current: +2200 (as of August 22, 2024)
Ticket: 1.4%. Handle: 0.7% (as of August 22, 2024)

I can't recall another player who has re-invented himself as successfully as Adrian Kempe. His ascension to the top line has unsurprisingly coincided with a scoring bump across the board, but I've never seen a player transform from being a complementary, pass-first winger to a physical, 40-goal threat with this much success. Kempe is one of 10 players over the past three seasons who has amassed at least 100 goals and 300 hits. He's fantastic and underrated in banger leagues.

Trevor Moore has went through a similar transformation over the past two seasons, and he scored a career-high 31 goals on 244 shots and recorded another 92 hits. He never used to shoot or score this much, and he was one of fantasy's biggest surprises last season along with Cam Talbot, who posted excellent numbers behind a strong defensive team. Talbot was a popular zero-G pick and provided starting goalie value from the later rounds. He finished 11th in wins, 11th in saves, 14th in SV% and 10th in TOI. 

Ageless wonders Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty were also great value picks, defying an age curve that has failed to claim them as victims (so far). The Kings have been building a succession plan for years, which made significant progress following Quinton Byfield's breakout season (easy call in fantasy last season), but this is still very much Kopitar and Doughty's team. 

It was not without disappointment, however. Pierre-Luc Dubois was a terrible fit; a once-revered power forward at 5-on-5 had become a liability on the ice when you needed him most, and also now prefers to score most of his goals on the power play. Only in leagues where hits and faceoffs counted was Dubois more valuable; otherwise, he was a frustrating because of his high-upside talent but low-upside fantasy value. Until Dubois proves otherwise, his fantasy value will be marginal. Phillip Danault was the much better and more reliable choice for offering the same level of fantasy value. 

It's time to take the training wheels off Byfield and let him anchor his own line. Trading Dubois has left the Kings short one center. If they're committed to their 1-3-1, it starts with having three good centers, and this is where Byfield begins a new chapter in his promising career. It's arguably their most intriguing storyline heading into the Kings' season.

Since Kempe and Kopitar usually stick together, Byfield will likely now center his own line between Fiala and Moore, who flanked Danault for much of last season. They will be the Kings' second scoring line, and I don't think they will significantly favor one or the other. Danault will serve as the matchup pivot, though he's still a reliable fantasy option for 40-50 points and plenty of face-off wins. This also allows the Kings to lean on Kopitar a little less and save him for the playoffs, which in turn will slightly negatively impact his fantasy value. 

The trickle-down effect of a leap by Byfield means Fiala might have his best season yet for the Kings and Moore would have a chance to replicate a suspiciously anomalous 31-goal season. Tanner Jeannot, who has huge banger-league value if he can score 15 goals (hard) and register 200-plus hits (easy), is poised to bounce back after a forgettable stint with the Lightning, which means the Kings should be well-represented in a lot of fantasy teams this season. 

The caveat to all Kings players in fantasy is Jim Hiller's public defense of the 1-3-1 system. They're excellent at defending, finishing third in fewest goals allowed per game and second on the PK last season, but that also includes sacrificing some offense. Kempe and Fiala will likely be their top scorers again, scoring close to a point-per-game pace, but it caps their fantasy value. I think most of the Kings — Byfield not included — are just solid low-risk fantasy players. 

(updated Oct. 6, 2024)

Even Strength

Alex Laferriere - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala - Quinton Byfield - Warren Foegele
Tanner Jeannot - Phillip Danault - Trevor Moore
Alex Turcotte - Akil Thomas - Trevor Lewis

Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Mikey Anderson - Jordan Spence
Vladislav Gavrikov - Kyle Burroughs

Darcy Kuemper - David Rittich

ex: Andreas Englund, Caleb Jones

IR: Arthur Kaliyev (broken clavicle on Day 2 of training camp, out indefinitely), Drew Doughty (fractured ankle on Sept. 25, month-to-month)

Power Play

Fiala - Kopitar - Kempe - Byfield - Clarke

Moore - Danault - Foegele - Laferriere - Spence

If Byfield centers his own line, it'll be interesting to see who fits with Kopitar and Kempe. Last season, Laferriere took a few whirls in that spot and if he can win that job for the season, he's going to put in a great position to score 20 goals. In the right situation and top-six minutes, he's akin to another Moore but with fewer shots and more hits. 

The other two rookies of note are Akil Thomas and Alex Turcotte, both of whom are at pivotal points of their career and be fighting for roster spots. They should be Laferriere's biggest challengers, and the difference between winning and losing could be a potential top-six role or being the 13th forward. Foegele is also another sleeper candidate but also for the same reason: Can he win a top-six role?

Clarke won't be able to put up monster numbers as long as Doughty's running the show, but this is likely the season where Clarke becomes an NHL regular after Matt Roy signed with the Capitals. 

Known for his dynamic offensive ability, Clarke will have to fight Jordan Spence for minutes at even strength and hope that he gets at least a few opportunities with PP1. The Kings will have a really good first unit, but the second unit might lack a natural goal scorer, making it harder for Clarke to score points. The counter-argument? Clarke might need a little more seasoning before his breakout comes in 2025-26.  

Update 9/26:

Doughty suffered a fractured ankle in a preseason game against the Knights on Sept. 25, and odds are he will miss at least a few weeks. This is a big opportunity for Clarke, who likely steps in as the QB on PP1. Watch out, though, for Spence, who will also challenge for minutes. This is shaping up to be a breakout season for Clarke, indeed. 

I think the Kings might've re-signed Talbot if they couldn't find a suitor for Dubois, but miraculously ended up getting the Caps to take Dubois and his entire contract. There was no way the Kings could've passed up a $65-million mulligan. All the Caps asked of the Kings was to take back Kuemper, who returns for his second tour, and also allowed the Caps to promise Charlie Lindgren more playing time and acquire Logan Thompson from the Knights. 

This tells me the Kings don't think Talbot would be difficult to replace, and that the younger Kuemper, who was excellent in his previous Kings stint (10-1-3, .932 SP, 2.10 GAA), and signed for just three more seasons compared to Dubois' seven, was a suitable replacement. 

Kuemper is coming off arguably the worst season of his career. If losing the starting job to Lindgren was the ultimate low point, there's nowhere else to go but up, and playing in front of a much stronger defensive team than the Caps should really help. 

The Kings spent far less time in their own zone than the Caps and also provided much better goal support last season. Kuemper will get first crack at the starting job, ahead of David Rittich and folk hero Pheonix Copley. 

Foegele's going to have a hard time scoring 20 goals; seven of the goals and 13 of the 41 points he scored last season involved Leon Draisaitl. Without an elite center to set him up, Foegele doesn't have much offensive upside. The expectation is that he might get an increased role on the Kings, but it's more likely he's asked to be a checking, two-way winger rather than contributing points. 

Kuemper is the likely starter with Rittich serving as his backup and Copley as the No. 3 option. Kuemper's fantasy value skyrocketed after the trade; he's no longer backing up Lindgren and he gets to start for a much better team. It's like getting the golden mushroom boost in Mario Kart rather than the regular mushroom. 

One thing that THN Los Angeles editor Austin Stanovich did note, however, is to watch for Erik Portillo. Drafted by the Sabres (who know a thing or two about giving up good goalies) but opting to test free agency instead, Portillo signed with the Kings and went 24-11-3 as a rookie in the AHL last season. With a somewhat crowded crease, it's difficult to envision Portillo making any sort of significant impact barring a significant injury or roster turnover. It would not be surprising to see Portillo in the NHL at some point, but his peak fantasy value will be in the coming seasons, and not now. 

Kevin Fiala, LW - 26-48-74
Adrian Kempe, RW - 31-42-73
Quinton Byfield, C - 21-40-61
Anze Kopitar, C - 20-36-56
Trevor Moore, RW - 20-28-48

40. Adrian Kempe, C/RW
65. Kevin Fiala, LW
86. Anze Kopitar, C
127. Trevor Moore, LW/RW
129. Darcy Kuemper, G
138. Quinton Byfield, RW
158. Drew Doughty, D
236. Phillip Danault, C
259. Pheonix Copley, G
308. David Rittich, G
329. Warren Foegele, LW/RW
481. Tanner Jeannot, LW/RW
563. Alex Laferriere, RW
591. Jordan Spence, D
595. Arthur Kaliyev, RW
809. Brandt Clarke, D
819. Alex Turcotte, C
842. Akil Thomas, C

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