The Kings parted ways with many players in the offseason, including some high-impact players. The sum of Pierre Luc Dubois, Blake Lizotte, Viktor Arvidsson, Matt Roy, and Carl Grundstrom removed from the roster forced the Kings into a significant facelift.
Kings management sought to get grittier and tougher, making the team 'uncomfortable' in their regrouped approach after three first-round exits. The four players they brought in have a different schematic this team deploys, yet the approach and results mirror their defensive identity
Now twenty-plus games into the season, it's time to reflect on the offseason acquisitions.
Tanner Jeannot
18gp 2g-1a-3p -1 26 PIMS (4 Majors, 3 Minors) 10 Penalties drawn, 54 Hits.
Jeannot is the first guy in line for the descriptive terms Rob Blake wanted to have moving forward. He's been as rugged as a forward as expected, but any inclinations that he could recover his Cinderella goal-scoring from Nashville have been put to rest. He does lead the team in major penalties (4), but he also leads the team in penalties drawn, which might be offset because his penalties sometimes occur from pulling a one-for-one swap into the box.
He missed three games due to suspension for his hit on Brock Boeser, adding another layer of tension to a great Pacific Division matchup.
Jeannot is making 2.6 million dollars. As a proverbial upgrade to Grundstrom (he was making 1.5 on the Kings, compared to 1.8 on San Jose), current results are more complicated to swallow.
Joel Edmundson
19gp 3g-3a-6p +3 14 PIMS 13/6 Giveaway to Takeaway ratio, 33 Shots Blocked, 30 Hits
Edmundson was a glaring concern in the offseason. He came with a heftier-than-expected price tag, has yet to stay consistently healthy in his career, and was coming in as a potential replacement for Matt Roy.
That's a lot to overcome, when starting with a new team.
He's formed a cohesive defensive pair with young Brandt Clarke. Outside of the Gavrikov-Anderson pairing, they've been the Kings' most consistent defensive pair with 233:35 TOI together. Via Moneypuck.com, they have also been the highest event pair. They lead the Kings in both xGoals Against with 10.9, and xGoals For per 60 with 2.8 (minimum 100+ minutes played).
Their 47.9% Corsi isn't ideal, as their shot attempts against (257) lead all LA pairs. However, they lead in Shots For Per 60 (60.59, minimum of 100+ minutes together).
Where he's been best is on the penalty kill.
For players in the league with a minimum of 30 short-handed minutes played, his On-Ice Expected Goals Against are 10th best (4.18). He's 21st in On-Ice Shot Attempts Against per 60 (83.02), 19th in High Danger Shot Attempts Against per 60 (5.03), and leads the league in On-Ice Expected Goals Differential (-1.2).
So, while he was never going to replace Roy, he's been excellent on the kill while still finding his footing with a high-event youngster in Clarke.
Warren Foegele
21gp 6g-4a-10p +7 48 SOG (all situations)
Foegele has arguably been the brightest spot among the offseason acquisitions. He's produced at nearly a .5 ppg pace and has formed a formidable duo with Quinton Byfield, who is still adjusting as a full-time center. Foegele has been as effective a complimentary player as he was playing with superstars in Edmonton; this time, however, he's playing with less talent on offense and putting more of an impetus on defense.
With Byfield, he's formed one of the best penalty-killing duos in the league (minimum 30 minutes per Moneypuck). Foegele, while not scoring shorthanded yet, leads the league in both shots on goal per 60 minutes with 10.4 (Byfield is 14th) and shot attempts per 60 (17.34). His 33% Corsi and 38% Fenwick also lead the league.
To summarize, Foegele and Byfield use their elite speed to force turnovers and essentially have the puck on their stick on the kill more than any other forward pair in the league.
Foegele has essentially performed as advertised, if not better. He’s scoring goals at the same pace as when he was in Edmonton but surrounded by lower-end talent. While he's on track to reproduce those 20 goals, I'd expect him to fall back into the high teens.
Darcy Kuemper
10gp 4-2-3 .899 Sv % 2.65 GA 1 SO
Kuemper arrived in the most polarizing move of the offseason for the Kings, as they swapped him with Dubois. Kuemper struggled with Washington, and the teams executed a clean-cut one-for-one swap. In a situation like this, the hope was to get Kuemper playing back to his dates relative to Colorado and Arizona.
How has he fared?
Among goalies who have played 10+ games, he ranks 28th in Goals Saved Above Expected (-2.3), 26th in Save Percentage, and 28th in GAA better than expected rating (-0.23). His Wins Above Replacement (WAR) ranking is also 28th (-0.38).
He was in the top seven in those categories during his Championship year in Colorado (2021-22), including 5th in WAR (3.49) and Goals Saved Above Expected (21.0).
His save percentage of .899 is well below his career average of .914, while playing in a goalie-friendly system. Even with the switch to the 1-2-2, the team still insulates goaltenders as effectively as any other in the NHL.
Injuries have been a concern with Kuemper, as he is currently on the mend after his second lower body ailment in his second Kings stint. The setback gave David Rittich the reins, and he took it with an iron fist.
Complicating things further is that Rittich has flat-out been better than Kuemper thus far. Rittich's performance is marginally better in most areas, showing that the Dubois jettison was designed to get something back, even if it was a risk.
Kuemper is signed for another two seasons following this one. With a $5.25 million AAV and a modified 10-team no-trade list, the Kings will likely see his contract through unless assets (which are limited) are shed.
Fortunately for Kuemper, time is on his side once he regains his health. There's plenty of tarmac left this season, and the return of Drew Doughty will only insulate the goaltending further.
Quarter conclusion
The players brought in have certainly changed the club, but Foegele has been the biggest standout. Three of the four acquisitions have yet to play to their price tag. Edmunston has been a surprise, albeit while playing next to an up-and-coming star player and buoyed by a first-ever two-goal performance. Kuemper looks more of a risk associated with the gamble of offsetting Dubois and his injuries have forced the backup goaltender to take charge. Jeannot has been quite the costly upgrade to Grundstrom.
This leaves room for a ton of improvement, and with a full bill of health for not just Kuemper, there is plenty of time to revise these thoughts at the halfway mark.
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