2023-07-18 23:55:10
After the draft, the opening of the free agent market and several staff moves during the offseason, NHL.com is profiling the various teams for the 2023-24 season, which begins on October 10. Today, the Los Angeles Kings.
READ ALSO: Dubois happy to have the opportunity to be himself with the Kings
Record in 2022-23: 47-25-10, third in the Pacific section; eliminated in the first round in the Western Conference
Top scorer: Adrian Kempe (41)
Best passer: Kevin Fiala (49)
Top scorer: Anze Kopitar (74)
Arrivals
• Pierre-Luc Dubois (A)
• Cam Talbot (G)
• Trevor Lewis (A)
Dubois, 25, was acquired in a trade from the Winnipeg Jets on June 27 for forwards Alex Iafallo, Gabriel Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari, and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. He signed an eight-year contract with the Kings on the same day. The Quebec center, who just set an NHL career high with 63 points (27 goals, 36 assists) in 73 games before adding four points (two goals, two assists) in five playoff games of the Stanley Cup with Winnipeg last season, strengthens the center line of the Kings.
Video: WPG@VGK, #1: Dubois beats Brossoit with a perfect shot
Talbot, 36, signed a one-year contract with Los Angeles on July 1. Talbot, who will play for a seventh NHL team, went 17-14-2 with a 2.93 goals- once morest average, .898 save percentage and one shutout in 36 games (32 starts). ) with the Ottawa Senators last season.
Lewis, who played with the Kings between 2008 and 2020 and won the Stanley Cup twice with them (2012, 2014), returns to the team following agreeing to a one-year contract on July 1. The 36-year-old gives the Kings another defensive forward.
Departures
• Alex Iafallo (A)
• Gabriel Vilardi (A)
• Sean Walker (D)
• Cal Petersen (G)
• Sean Durzi (D)
Iafallo, 29, and Vilardi, 23, were sent to the Jets in the Dubois trade. Iafallo had 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 59 games last season and four points (three goals, one assist) in six playoff games, while Vilardi set NHL career highs in goals ( 23), assists (18) and points (41) in 63 games last season. He scored four points (two goals, two assists) in five playoff games.
Walker and Petersen were each acquired by the Philadelphia Flyers in a three-team trade that also involved the Columbus Blue Jackets on June 6. Walker had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 70 games with the Kings last season. Petersen was 5-3-2 with a 3.75 GAA and .868 save percentage in 10 games (nine starts) with Los Angeles, before spending the rest of the season with the Reign. Ontario in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Durzi, 24, was traded to the Arizona Coyotes for a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft on June 24. He had 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 72 games before scoring one goal in six playoff games.
They knock on the door
• Brandt Clarke (D)
• Samuel Fagemo (A)
Clarke, 20, made his NHL debut last season, collecting two assists in nine games for the Kings. He also had 61 points (23 goals, 38 assists) in 31 games with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League and eight points (two goals, six assists) in seven games to help Canada winning gold at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship. With the departure of Walker and Durzi, Clarke has a great chance of staying on the Kings roster.
Fagemo, 23, had three points (two goals, one assist) in nine games with the Kings and 32 points (23 goals, nine assists) in 56 games with Ontario. He’s probably not ready for a full-time job in Los Angeles, but he might see more NHL action at some point this season.
Needs
The Kings need to figure out which defensemen will form their third pair and they would definitely like it to be Tobias Bjornfot and Clarke. The latter will have to show that he is ready for the NHL, but it is even more pressing for Bjornfot to become a constant player in the NHL once more. After having eight assists in 70 games with the Kings in 2021-22, the 22-year-old guard had just one assist in 10 games with them last season. He spent the rest of the season in the AHL, where he had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 50 games. If Bjornfot can bounce back, he and Clarke can help bolster the defensive squad in Los Angeles.
what they said
“Honestly, I think it’s an opportunity for me to be who I am. I think I’m sometimes misunderstood, but at the same time I think a lot of people don’t really know me. And that’s okay. Sometimes in our world it’s hard to get to know certain people. […] Now will be a great opportunity to be myself. Not having to demonstrate or prove anything, just be myself. — Dubois following being traded to the Kings
Training scheduled for 2023-24
Quinton Byfield — Anze Kopitar — Adrian Kempe
Kevin Fiala — Pierre-Luc Dubois — Arthur Kaliyev
Trevor Moore — Phillip Danault — Viktor Arvidsson
Carl Grundstrom — Blake Lizotte — Trevor Lewis
Mikey Anderson — Drew Doughty
Vladislav Gavrikov — Matt Roy
Tobias Bjornfot — Brandt Clarke
Pheonix Copley
Cam Talbot
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#Kings #add #depth #center #arrival #Dubois
