What are the biggest questions facing the Kings ahead of their season opener?
The Los Angeles Kings open their 2026-27 season Wednesday night the same way they ended last season: against their conference foe, the Colorado Avalanche, across the ice. Colorado swept Los Angeles in last year's first-round playoff series, giving the Kings their fifth straight first-round loss in the last five seasons.
Like last season's opener, the Kings hosted the Avs at home, still coming up short in a 4-1 loss, and now they'll travel to Denver on national TV with a new coaching staff and a different roster around Drew Doughty and Adrian Kempe.
With all that in mind, questions remain before the regular season starts this week, on Sept. 30. Let's hash a few out.
Can Peter Laviolette actually change the Kings' identity?
The Kings have had bad luck hiring head coaches over the last five years, with their former head coach, Todd McLellan, the only coach to have a long tenure (2019-2024).
LA fired former head coach Jim Hiller because of defensive struggles and is now bringing in Peter Laviotee to figure out how to reinvent the team's defense. General Manager Ken Holland said his defensive plan is to find more ways to generate scoring and to build a more aggressive, transition-heavy attack rather than the dull structure that got Hiller fired.
The Kings' identity has been defense-first for most of the last two decades, which helped them secure two Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, but whether that translates to LA with this personnel is the whole ballgame.
Who is most inclined to pop in Laviolette's system?
A few names stand out as players who should continue to develop their game: Brandt Clarke, Alex Turcotte, Quinton Byfield, and Alex Laferriere, each representing LA's young core.
The biggest factor in elevating a player's game is the system Laviotte uses. The Stanley Cup champion mentioned that he wants to create more offense off the rush and in transition, which fits Clarke's play style.
Since starting his play on ice in 2022, Clarke has improved his numbers every season. This past season, the 23-year-old finished with eight goals, 32 assists, and 40 points in 82 games.
Now he gets a coach who wants his blueliners involved in the attack, on a team that has stacked the back end with older players and a couple of younger ones like Byfield and Laferriere, who are in the same boat. That leaves a fight for who will benefit most in this system: Clarke, Byfield, or Laferriere as the offensive engine on this team.
There are plenty of options, and the Kings can benefit greatly from a few of their players outperforming their projections.
Who is this team's center now that Anze Kopitar is gone?
Anze Kopitar's retirement leaves a hole at the top of the lineup that the Kings haven't made a splash to fill. The top candidates are Scott Laughton and Alex Turcotte, two players with different backgrounds: Laughton, a veteran brought in midseason via trade, and Turcotte, a young player still figuring out his identity.
The obvious answer could be Turcotte given his age and trajectory, but his track record is complicated after a career season in 2024-25. The 25-year-old followed up the next season by being sidelined for about a month with an upper-body injury, which dropped his numbers, and he has a history of that type of injury.
Over the last two seasons, Turcotte has missed a ton of games because of repeated upper-body injuries. At just 5'11 and 195 pounds, his size makes it tough to stay healthy and strong.
While Laughton is similar, the veteran center, standing 6'1 and weighing 190 pounds, has always been a tough player and has never suffered a serious injury. The 32-year-old not only fit well with the Kings' core but also had a better season than Turcotte, despite joining a new system midseason; Laughton finished with 13 goals, seven assists, and 20 points.
Soon there will be answers to all these questions. But in the meantime, it’s time to officially start the season, with ice time beginning Wednesday, Sept. 30, at 7:00 PM PT against the Colorado Avs.
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