The Kings have a solid core with some young, promising players like Alex Laferriere and Quinton Byfield, some players in their prime like Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala, veterans from their two Stanley Cup runs like Anže Kopitar and Drew Doughty, and solid depth pieces like Phillip Danault and Warren Foegele.

Let’s take a look at how their season went, as well as what the Kings have done so far this off-season.

How the season went

Of any record in the National Hockey League in the 2024-25 season, the Kings’ record of 31-6-4 at home was the best in the league – never forget that the Calgary Flames were one of those losses.

It was all for naught though, as for the fourth consecutive season, the Kings fell to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, this time in six games. The start looked promising as well, as the Kings won the first two games and had a late lead in Games 3 and 4. Eventually, the Oilers settled in and destroyed the Western Conference, with the Kings putting up the best fight before they thankfully lost to the Florida Panthers (again) in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Kempe, who is entering the final year of his contract in 2025-26, led the team with 35 goals and 73 points. Kopitar, Fiala, Byfield, Foegele, Danault, Laferriere, and Trevor Moore all finished with 40 or more points, while Brandt Clarke took a step forward as well.

In net, Darcy Kuemper is a solution to their goaltending situation for the foreseeable future, as the 35-year-old posts a .922 save percentage and 2 goals against average in 50 games, finishing third in Vezina Trophy voting.

Drafted players

After being eliminated from the postseason, the Kings ended up with nine picks, quite a bit for a contender. With the 31st overall pick, they selected defenceman Henry Brzustewicz. If that name sounds familiar, he is the younger brother of Flames’ defenceman Hunter.

In the second round, they selected Czech forward Vojtěch Čihař, followed by left-winger Kristian Epperson in the third round. The Kings had two fourth-round picks, selecting defenceman Caeden Herrington 120th overall and centre Jimmy Lombardi just five picks later. Their fifth-round pick was Finnish netminder Petteri Rimpinen.

Another Finn, centre Jan Chovan, was their sixth-round pick. And with their two seventh-round picks, the Kings selected centre Brendan McMorrow and defenceman Will Sharpe.

Trades

Aside from exchanging draft selections during the draft, the Kings made just one trade: Moving defenceman Jordan Spence to the Ottawa Senators for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick.

Last season, the right-shot defenceman who was born in Australia scored four goals and 28 points in 79 games, setting career-highs above the board. That third-round pick was traded the same day, as they sent it to the Carolina Hurricanes for one of the fourth-round picks they used, as well as the Dallas Stars’ 2026 third-round pick.

Free agent signings

The Kings had an interesting time in free agency, to say the least. On the day before the opening of free agency, they extended former Flame Andrei Kuzmenko to a one-year deal worth $4.3 million.

When free agency officially began on Jul. 1, the Kings signed forward Joel Armia to a two-year deal worth $2.5 million annually. They also signed two former Oilers, Corey Perry to a one-year deal worth $2 million, and Cody Ceci to a four-year deal worth $4.5 million annually.

To round out their acquisitions, the Kings signed netminder Anton Forsberg to a two-year deal worth $2.25 million annually, and defenceman Brian Dumoulin to a three-year deal worth $4 million annually.

On Aug. 1, they also extended Laferriere to a three-year deal worth $4.1 million annually, a well-deserved raise for one of their young talents.

Departures

On top of Spence, the Kings lost an important defenceman in Vladislav Gavrikov, one of the best defensive defencemen in the league. Replacing him with Ceci seems less than ideal, but who knows how this will pan out?

With the addition of Forsberg, the Kings had no more use for former Flame David Rittich, who signed a one-year deal on the opening day of free agency. Tanner Jeannot also signed a five-year deal with the Boston Bruins on the same day, one of the weirder signings this off-season.

The Kings added some depth in their bottom six, a problem in their series against the Oilers. Gavrikov signing elsewhere is a big loss, but the Kings got stronger elsewhere and should be a post-season team in 2025-26.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

This article is presented by Bon Ton Meat Market

A Tradition of quality products and personalized service for 104 years.

Proud to feature only the finest premium AAA Alberta Beef, Locally raised fresh pork, locally raised fresh free range chicken and turkey, fresh Alberta lamb and milk fed veal.

Over 20 varieties of in store made salads, delicious desserts and of course our famous in store made meat pies. Proud to be Calgary, and Southern Alberta’s Consumers Choice Award Winner for best Meat and Deli for 24 consecutive years! Bon Ton Meat Market, 28 Crowfoot Circle NW.

Editorials

Recent articles from Ryley Delaney

What’s Going On In the Pacific Division: The three Canadian teams sit at the bottom of the division

Throwback Thursday: Looking at the Flames’ three trades with the Wild

Dustin Wolf’s rough start to the season is nothing new for second-year netminders