2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Previews: Los Angeles Kings
The 2023 DailyFaceoff Fantasy Hockey Projections has projected stats for over 650 skaters and goalies.
The Fantasy Hockey Team Previews have all the projections for that team and mini-bios for all the Re-Draft and Dynasty relevant skaters and goalies. We will release the previews from September 5th through September 14th.
| Anaheim Ducks | Columbus Blue Jackets | Nashville Predators (Sept.9) | Seattle Kraken (Sept.13) |
| Arizona Coyotes | Dallas Stars | New Jersey Devils (Sept.9) | St. Louis Blues (Sept.13) |
| Boston Bruins | Detroit Red Wings | New York Islanders (Sept.9) | Tampa Bay Lightning (Sept.13) |
| Buffalo Sabres | Edmonton Oilers | New York Rangers (Sept.9) | Toronto Maple Leafs (Sept.13) |
| Calgary Flames | Florida Panthers | Ottawa Senators (Sept.12) | Vancouver Canucks (Sept.14) |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Los Angeles Kings | Philadelphia Flyers (Sept.12) | Vegas Golden Knights (Sept.14) |
| Chicago Blackhawks | Minnesota Wild | Pittsburgh Penguins (Sept.12) | Washington Capitals (Sept.14) |
| Colorado Avalanche | Montreal Canadiens | San Jose Sharks (Sept.12) | Winnipeg Jets (Sept.14) |
In addition to the Fantasy Hockey Previews, Daily Faceoff is previewing all 32 NHL teams for 2022-23, with a new in-depth breakdown dropping every weekday! Click here to find every preview in one place.
Skaters
Kevin Fiala
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 78.6 | 32.0 | 45.2 | 77.2 | 0.0 | 53.4 | 8.1 | 13.2 | 21.3 | 262.8 | 12.2% | 18.7 | 4.9 | 22.9 | 49.9 |
In July, the Kings acquired Fiala from Minnesota and immediately signed him to a seven-year contract extension. The Fiala breakout finally arrived in 2021-22, posting 85 points (33G / 52A) in 82 games. He did most of his damage from the second half of February, ranking eighth in the NHL with 48 points (19G / 29A) in his final 36 games. More impressively, he did most of that work at 5v5 while playing on the Wild’s second line. In Los Angeles, he’ll likely be paired with Anze Kopitar, and the duo could make some magic happen. Fiala’s elite shot volume (10.9 SOG/60) should allow him to duplicate his 30-plus goal campaign.
Anze Kopitar
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 81.8 | 20.0 | 48.3 | 68.4 | -1.9 | 17.0 | 6.2 | 20.1 | 26.3 | 186.0 | 10.8% | 20.9 | 888.3 | 61.5 | 65.5 |
Kopitar exploded for 92 points in 2018 but has unsurprisingly been unable to get back to that level ever since. Still, he’s been remarkably consistent, averaging 21 goals and 47 assists (68 points) per 82 games in the four years since. Adding a player of Fiala’s ability to his wing could help the 35-year-old inch back closer to a point-per-game pace in 2022-23. Kopitar is a No.3 fantasy centre with as stable a floor as you will find.
Drew Doughty
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 77.2 | 10.9 | 38.1 | 49.1 | -0.9 | 47.2 | 6.7 | 15.6 | 22.3 | 164.6 | 6.7% | 25.9 | 0.0 | 105.4 | 118.1 |
Doughty missed a month with a knee injury early in 2021-22 and had his season cut short by wrist surgery. However, the veteran defenseman is expected to be ready for the start of the 2022-23 season and could have a big year if last year’s 39 games were any indication. Doughty was 12th among defensemen in points-per-game (0.79) and could put together a 50-point season if he stays healthy. The Kings are a team on the rise, and Doughty will be on the ice for 26 minutes per night.
Adrian Kempe
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 80.5 | 27.5 | 23.5 | 51.0 | -5.7 | 44.0 | 6.2 | 11.8 | 18.0 | 226.6 | 12.1% | 18.5 | 42.3 | 29.4 | 98.0 |
Kempe scored 35 goals out of nowhere, largely thanks to a dramatic increase in shot volume–he was 31st in the NHL in SOG/60 (10.2). Even if his SH% (14.2) regresses, he could still reach 30 goals with that shot volume. Adding Fiala into the mix gives the Kings a potent top line, which should help boost Kempe’s assist numbers this season. You’ll be able to add Kempe late in drafts, and he has a real shot at building off last year’s career numbers.
Viktor Arvidsson
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 73.6 | 23.7 | 26.0 | 49.7 | 3.1 | 29.0 | 5.2 | 3.8 | 9.0 | 229.4 | 10.3% | 17.2 | 14.0 | 44.9 | 28.7 |
Arvidsson’s first season with the Kings went very well. He tallied 20 goals with 29 assists (49 points) in 66 games and was a key member of their second line, which was fifth in the NHL in xGF/60 (3.8). Arvidsson should once again spend plenty of time with Phillip Danault, so expect top-10 shot volume and 30-goal, 40-assist upside.
Phillip Danault
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 80.5 | 19.2 | 29.1 | 48.3 | 9.7 | 38.4 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 4.6 | 163.0 | 11.8% | 18.0 | 716.2 | 44.9 | 94.3 |
The Kings’ second line dominated the opposition nightly, leading to Danault posting career-bests in shots (194) and goals (27). Danault’s offensive game seems a bit capped. Still, as long as he’s playing on one of the best offensive lines in the league, he’ll continue to rack up points on a regular basis. Just don’t expect him to suddenly turn into a 70-point player.
Trevor Moore
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 80.2 | 15.4 | 24.2 | 39.6 | 6.1 | 21.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 166.4 | 9.3% | 15.2 | 20.5 | 26.8 | 66.9 |
Moore had been productive at every level (USHL, NCAA & AHL), but it took a little while for him to get going in the NHL. In 2021-22, he found himself on a line with Danault and Arvidsson and became a solid streaming option in the middle of the season. He finished the season with 17 goals and 31 assists (48 points), but with an 8.4 SH% and 9.2 on-ice SH%, there could be room for growth in 2022-23. There’s no reason for the Kings to break up that line, so expect Moore to be on the fringe of fantasy relevance this season with pretty decent upside if things continue to go as well as they did last year.
Arthur Kaliyev
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 80.5 | 16.6 | 17.1 | 33.8 | -0.6 | 34.7 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 11.0 | 206.0 | 8.1% | 14.0 | 0.0 | 16.9 | 43.0 |
Kaliyev is a sharpshooter, evidenced by his 95 goals in his final two years in the OHL. He was solid in his rookie campaign, scoring 14 goals with 13 assists while playing almost exclusively fourth-line minutes. There’s no denying that Kaliyev will be a quality goal-scorer in the NHL, but it’s hard to envision him moving out of the Kings’ bottom-6 this season. Their top-6 seems set in stone, so leave Kaliyev on waivers but scoop him up if an injury forces the Kings to move him up the depth chart.
Quinton Byfield
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 70.1 | 12.5 | 16.4 | 29.0 | -5.3 | 27.1 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 90.1 | 13.9% | 14.1 | 252.4 | 26.0 | 49.1 |
The 2020 No.2 overall pick has tallied only 11 points (5G / 6A) in 46 games. His ice-time has been very limited and will likely continue to be in 2022-23. The Kings’ depth chart is loaded, and Byfield is the victim of a numbers game at the moment. The future is still bright for the 20-year-old centre, but he likely will have zero impact on this fantasy season.
Sean Durzi
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 76.0 | 4.6 | 23.6 | 28.7 | -5.6 | 58.2 | 1.8 | 8.3 | 10.1 | 131.0 | 3.5% | 18.7 | 0.0 | 129.6 | 90.5 |
Durzi made his NHL debut last season, replacing Doughty when he was hurt. The 23-year-old defenseman made an immediate impact, posting five points (1G / 4A) in his first five games. He was a welcomed waiver wire addition for teams that were weak on the blueline, as he finished with 27 points (3G / 24A) in 64 games. The concern for Durzi coming into 2022-23 is that 55.6 percent of his points came on the power-play. With Doughty back in the mix, Durzi will likely be relegated to PP2, hurting his PP totals. He should start the year on fantasy waiver wires.
Gabriel Vilardi
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 69.3 | 13.4 | 13.4 | 26.8 | -6.5 | 15.3 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 6.2 | 95.7 | 14.0% | 13.8 | 262.1 | 24.8 | 26.5 |
Vilardi is one of many very talented young forwards in Los Angeles. However, they are going to play a limited role behind veterans. Across three seasons, Vilardi has registered 37 points (18G / 19A) in 89 games while averaging 14:11 TOI/gm. Expect him to continue to produce around a 0.4 points-per-game pace until he takes on a more prominent role in the Kings’ offence.
Goalies
Jonathan Quick
After posting a .896 SV% from 2019-to-2021, it looked as if Cal Petersen was going to take the crease from Quick entering the 2022 season. That never materialized, as Quick played extremely well. He had a .923 SV% in 20 games through the first three months. However, he tailed off in his subsequent 21 appearances (.888 SV%) before closing the season with five straight wins (.938 SV%). Overall, he was 13th in GAA (2.69) and tied for 25th in SV% (.910). At 36 years old, his days of starting 60-plus games are over, but he still seems capable of taking the lion’s share of a 60/40 split. Los Angeles was one of the best 5v5 teams in the NHL a season ago, but their special teams were well below average. If the power-play and penalty-kill improve in 2022-23, they will be an excellent team, and Quick will be a solid No.2 fantasy option.
Cal Petersen
Petersen not taking over the Kings’ crease had just as much to do with his struggles as it did Quick’s success. Through the first two months of the season, he had a .895 SV%, and it never really got better from there. He was a sub-.900 SV% netminder all year but still managed to win 20 games. Petersen had a .916 SV% in 54 games before last season, so expect him to bounce back. However, it seems as if he’ll still only see about 35 starts unless Quick’s game falls off of a cliff.
Remaining Kings Projections
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| Alex Iafallo | LW | 80.7 | 16.7 | 22.0 | 38.7 | 0.3 | 10.6 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 8.5 | 177.4 | 9.4% | 17.3 | 11.3 | 48.7 | 44.4 |
| Matt Roy | D | 74.2 | 3.5 | 18.1 | 22.1 | 10.0 | 23.9 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 143.1 | 2.4% | 20.9 | 0.0 | 114.7 | 128.6 |
| Alexander Edler | D | 68.8 | 3.0 | 18.1 | 21.6 | 6.4 | 55.4 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 102.9 | 2.9% | 18.4 | 0.0 | 123.0 | 91.1 |
| Mikey Anderson | D | 72.1 | 2.5 | 11.2 | 13.7 | 2.5 | 22.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 76.4 | 3.3% | 20.3 | 0.0 | 93.5 | 127.4 |
| Tobias Bjornfot | D | 68.5 | 0.8 | 9.3 | 10.1 | -5.9 | 12.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 60.3 | 1.3% | 16.7 | 0.0 | 65.2 | 66.3 |
| Blake Lizotte | C | 72.7 | 7.6 | 14.1 | 21.7 | 4.8 | 25.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 85.8 | 8.8% | 12.1 | 315.7 | 21.2 | 68.3 |
| Rasmus Kupari | C/RW | 72.0 | 9.9 | 11.3 | 21.2 | -6.5 | 25.8 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 76.2 | 13.0% | 13.5 | 211.7 | 25.8 | 96.8 |