Kings’ Core in Question: How Years of Missteps Threaten the Future

The Los Angeles Kings once had quite the stock of prospects built up toward completing a successful rebuild and returning to postseason success. From 2017-2021, their prospect pool turned into the envy of the league. With a jump start in the 2021-22 season toward a return to postseason success, a return to the postseason was achieved but with disastrous results.

It started with Phillip Danault, Alex Edler, and Viktor Arvidsson. It continued with Kevin Fiala. It morphed into Pierre Luc Dubois. Sprinkle in a Trevor Lewis, and you have a team that plugged various holes towards a rebuild with established players not quite at the playing level to jetty the team towards its championship aspirations or a friendly system to elevate or compliment the talents of these so-called championship roster pieces.

There's been some bang to some of their draft picks, some of which are undrafted or are later picks. The Kings got serious gusto and value out of Mikey Anderson (103rd overall), Matt Roy (194th), and undrafted players Blake Lizotte and Alex Iafallo. There are small victories there, which include the current value Anderson brings to the roster, combined with his surplus value contract and length, and you've got a hell of a deal. Conversely, the value was whiffed on Roy, who walked for free instead of selling when the team was believed to be 'contending.'

The team blocked roster spots for Rasmus Kupari and Arthur Kaliyev while being patient with players like Alex Turcotte and Quinton Byfield, showing an array of player development and implementation. Bjornfot would get immediate treatment, spoiling rather quickly despite playing the most games out of the defensive corps in the 2021-22 season. Gabriel Vilardi would hit, and hit hard, just to be shipped off for Dubois. The cascade would switch to heavy flow.

After two seasons of failed attempts at plugging other players, Byfield would finally be given the reins at his natural position. Brandt Clarke is currently in that 'Kings mix of development,' being given a surplus of minutes while Drew Doughty was injured. Now that the franchise icon has returned, even in his later years, Clarke's ice time has evaporated to the point of multiple game-healthy scratches. Now a trade piece speculatory player, the Clarke situation will be a must-watch drama over the next week or maybe a year. Clarke could be in for a bumpy ride if the Kaliyev situation is anything remotely close to what should be expected.

Given all these variables and past historical trends, the team is swimming in choppy waters. The core group of youth is at risk, while the veteran, aging core is not good enough to get the team past their postseason demons. Are Jordan Spence, Clarke, Turcotte, Byfield, and Alex Laferriere safe? Is that the core moving forward?

The cascade of mistakes has fumigated what is an auspicious present and future. Dubois would be leading the team in points, Vilardi is one of the best players on one of the best teams in the league, and Brock Faber is a surefire top-pairing defenseman who fits the King's style perfectly. Certainly, a major move at the deadline doesn't sway the team away from its past demons but amplifies the significant flaws with which the team was constructed.

All is well in the City of Angels? For hockey, it is quite gloomy. The deadline is starting to foretell possible doom day for the Kings, or will Blake finally make a move that adds up for once?