NEXT WAVE ON THE WAY
DON’T LOOK AT THE
NHL standings when assessing the Kings’ future. They have a bright one – it may just be four or five years out. Los Angeles had seven prospects ranked among the top 77 in Future Watch 2020. That’s unheard of prospect depth. Six of them are forwards, including 2019 top pick Alex Turcotte, ranked 11th overall. The Kings also have eight picks in the first four rounds of the draft. IMMEDIATE NEEDS: As part of their rebuild, the Kings offloaded six proven NHLers this season, and four others are UFAs, creating plenty of room for young up-and-comers. But one thing L.A. doesn’t want to do is break in a half-dozen rookies all at the same time. So watch for GM Rob Blake to scour the market offering playing opportunity for free agents.
LONG-TERM NEEDS: Forecasting a few years out, the Kings are suspect on the blueline and in the crease. Drew Doughty is the only true top-four defenseman in the system, and there are only two rearguards among L.A.’s top 10 prospects – Tobias Bjornfot and Kale Clague. In goal, Cal Petersen has shown promise, but there’s no goalie of the future in the system when Jonathan Quick, 34, ages out.
CAP SITUATION: The Kings are well positioned on this front. By the time their young prospects are signing their second contracts, the albatross deals for Quick, Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter will have expired. In fact, L.A. may take on a bad contract or two if it includes getting additional assets as part of the deal.
IN THE SYSTEM 2020-21: Take your pick. The Kings have a plethora of prospects on the verge. It makes sense that older ones such as Clague, Carl Grundstrom and Gabe Vilardi have the inside track. Learning under leaders Doughty and Anze Kopitar will be invaluable. DID YOU KNOW: L.A.’s list of prospects is so deep, several solid B-listers didn’t make their top 10, including Akil Thomas, Mikey Anderson, Sean Durzi and Aidan Dudas. They’d crack the top five on the lists of some other teams.