Stat Hockey’s Los Angeles Kings 2023-24 Line Projections

This is a look at the Los Angeles Kings 2023-24 line projections. It will cover all forward lines, defense pairings, goaltenders, and scratches.

Projected Lineup

F

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

S- Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Samuel Fagemo

D

Mikey Anderson – Drew Doughty

Vladislav Gavrikov – Matt Roy

Tobias Bjornfot – Brandt Clarke

S- Jacob Moverare

G

Cam Talbot

Pheonix Copley

Forwards

The Kings made a big offensive addition, but at the same time losing three lesser players with potential. I think it was a good move for them because this team has internal options to fill the void and they look strong up front. The first line found some chemistry last season and allowed Byfield to play at a higher level. The former second overall pick has struggled to find his footing in the NHL and the experiment at center didn’t work. Once placed on Kopitar’s wing along with Kempe, the trio did well. There’s great two-way play and offensive contributions here. They are fairly underrated.

The second and third line have a lot of talent to fill them, so certain players can be interchangeable throughout the season. Dubois will slot in as the number two center and I think Fiala deserves a full time top-six role. He is the best offensive player on the team, but he found himself on the third line to spread out scoring last season at times. There’s enough to go around now and he’ll elevate Dubois even higher. While you would think Arvidsson should be a lock for the other spot on the second line, his goal-scoring capabilities could boost the third line. Rather, Kaliyev has earned more playing time. He was stuck on the fourth line, but he can really shoot the puck well.

The third line will challenge for the best in the NHL with Danault as the centerman, Moore on one wing, and Arvidsson on the other. These three could easily combine for 60 goals this season and the defensive play will be strong too.

The fourth line is nothing to call home about, but they should be able to get the job done. About 30 goals contributed from this line, energy, and physicality is what is expected. I think Andersson-Dolan pushes for more playing time, but it might be hard to come by.

Defense

There were some offseason changes to the defense, but arguably for the better. The Kings had too many NHL options that they were going to either lose some or hurt the development of others. In terms of development, Clarke and Bjornfot should get full time roles on the third pairing. After a full season in the NHL in 2021-22, Bjornfot was pushed down and played just 10 games. Clarke proved how good he is and is ready to make the jump. I wouldn’t put it by him to even move into the top-four by the end of the season over Roy.

The top pairing should remain untouched. Andersson is underrated and can shut down the best of them. He was a great partner for Doughty last season. Doughty still leads this back-end and hasn’t seemed to have lost a step.

Related: Stat Hockey’s Florida Panthers 2023-24 Line Projections

The Kings managed to keep Gavrikov around and his presence will greatly help the defensive side of the puck. Paired with Roy, these two could match up nicely against talented lines and limit chances. This is exactly what a weak tandem in Los Angeles this season needs. The seventh defensive spot on the team will be up in the air. There are a handful of players who could earn the spot.

Goaltending

Goaltending got better from the start of last season, but arguably worse from the end of the season. Talbot was behind a weak defensive group in Ottawa, so he’ll get more help this season on the Kings. He can still perform well, but is getting up there in age. As for Copley, he earned himself a contract this season after his performance in 2022-23. He’s a cheap option and a journeyman who proved he could win games, but his stats aren’t great. This will be a boom or bust tandem for the Kings this season. They will likely just be able to hold things together.