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The Los Angeles Kings are off to a great start this season, posting a 7-2-2 record through their first 11 games.
While the likes of Anze Kopitar, Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Drew Doughty and other veterans have been key to the team's success, the Kings has also benefitted from a number of players exceeding expectations. Below, we take look at four players who are making more of an impact than expected.
A note on this: there are probably more than four players who could be mentioned here. Mikey Anderson has been great, but expectations were already fairly high with his role on the top pairing, while Blake Lizotte and the fourth line as a whole have been hugely important, and Alex Laferriere has fit quite well as a surprise addition to the roster. All are honourable mentions (and we could likely add other players to that list as well), but here are four to highlight:
QUINTON BYFIELD
Since being selected second overall by the Kings in 2020, Byfield has been looked at as a key building block for the organization going forward.
Early in his career though, the offense didn’t necessarily come for the forward, averaging a points per 82 pace of just 21 points in 2021-22, before a slightly improved pace of 34 points per 82 last season. This also came with a lack of goals, with Byfield managing just eight tallies over his first 99 games.
However, while Byfield wasn’t necessarily producing as maybe expected, he was already able to really round out his game. He’s excellent on the forecheck, continuously improving defensively, and the work ethic and intensity are there.
Now, Byfield is starting to see the production come along as well. Over his last six games, the forward has scored nine points and looks much more dangerous in the offensive zone than in the past. Byfield has given the top line an added element of offense early on, seemingly more comfortable controlling the puck himself to make a play, and looks poised for a breakout year.
ANDREAS ENGLUND
Englund may seem like a bit of an odd inclusion on this list over others, but I think it’s important to consider where expectations were when he was signed.
Ahead of training camp, it seemed like while there’d be a battle on the right side of the team’s defense group between Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke, the left side of the bottom pairing would ultimately be taken by Tobias Bjornfot. With Andreas Englund signed to a two-year deal, the defender seemed destined to be a spare for the Kings, or waived if the team didn’t have the cap space available to carry him.
However, Englund outright won the spot and has solidified himself as a regular member of the defense group, playing in all 11 games this season. While his game isn’t flashy, Englund is a physical, reliable blue liner who’s capable of fairly strong results in a sheltered role. His style meshes particularly well on a pairing with Jordan Spence, with Spence being the more capable puck-moving, offensive defender.
Englund has only averaged about 12 minutes per game this year and there’s still a huge amount of reliance on the team’s top-four group within the Kings' blue line, but considering Englund had yet to really solidify himself as a full-time NHLer before signing with the Kings, he’s worked out quite well.
TREVOR MOORE
Moore is well-established as a key middle-six forward with the Kings and has found a ton of chemistry playing with Phillip Danault over the last few years.
However, other than a great run in 2021-22 while playing with Danault and Viktor Arvidsson, where the line posted excellent numbers together, Moore has often seemed to have somewhat of an offensive ceiling. He has a ton of speed and is one of the hardest workers in every game he plays, but his production has generally stayed in the range of 35-45 points per 82.
However, Moore has erupted for six goals and 11 points so far, tied for the team lead in goals. The third line has been excellent with Arthur Kaliyev joining the Moore/Danault duo, and Moore has points in eight of 11 games this season.
While it’ll be interesting to see if Moore can sustain a higher offensive pace, the Kings have had success in large part due to the strength of their forward depth, and Moore has been a great story to start the year.
CAM TALBOT
In a 2022-23 season where goaltending was the team’s biggest issue, the Kings finally found a solution in goal when they acquired Joonas Korpisalo from the Columbus Blue Jackets. So letting Korpisalo walk in free agency, and then opting for a cheaper option in Cam Talbot was questionable at best. Talbot was coming off a year in which he posted just an .898 save percentage with the Ottawa Senators and at 36 years old, a bounce-back didn’t necessarily seem guaranteed.
However, Talbot has been rock solid for the Kings. He’s outright taken the starting role, playing in nine of the Kings’ 11 games so far and posting a .923 save percentage. In fact, Talbot has managed a .945 save percentage across his last five games and went on to be named as the NHL’s second star of the week.
The Kings have been very strong defensively through much of the year (especially in their recent string of Eastern Conference road games), but Talbot has had to be good at times, and is starting to prove he could be a sturdy solution in goal this season.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM NOVEMBER
- Kings dominate in 4-1 win over Leafs
- Kings get past Senators to stay undefeated on the road
- Kings keep rolling with 5-0 win over Flyers 
Los Angeles Kings Blogger • 
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