Here’s how the L.A. Kings’ depth chart might look, after numerous changes

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Ken Holland went into his first offseason as Los Angeles Kings general manager with $20 million of salary-cap space to spend, thanks to a sharp increase to the cap ceiling for the 2025-26 season.

Holland walked out of the free-agent market with his hands full of new buys. Whether he spent wisely is another question.

The Kings have five new players to add to a team that recorded a franchise-best 105 points last season but suffered a fourth consecutive first-round playoff loss. In adding forwards Corey Perry and Joel Armia, defensemen Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin, and goaltender Anton Forsberg, Holland spent a total of $43.5 million to bring in experience at those positions.

What isn’t coming is a star forward. Or a top shutdown defenseman. Already, Holland’s signings of Ceci and Dumoulin have been roundly criticized as overpays. Perry’s addition is drawing blowback for more emotional reasons, given his long history with the Anaheim Ducks and his well-earned reputation as a top-shelf agitator.

“We think we’re deeper,” Holland said. “We think we’re better. We think we’re a little bit bigger. Now we got to go play.”

The Kings still have a bit under $6 million of cap space, but most of their offseason work appears to be complete. Holland wants to keep some cap flexibility during the season — something his predecessor, Rob Blake, often didn’t have much of during the last part of his tenure — in case he wants to make a significant move.

Following the signings on Tuesday, here is what the Kings’ lineup could look like for opening night.

Forwards

The forward group should be set. With Kuzmenko back in the fold on a one-year extension, the Kings can run back their top three lines. Kuzmenko was a good fit with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, and if he can be responsible and produce, that should stop the litany of wingers who went through the top-line turnstile.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Kevin Fiala, Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere emerged as the best offensive trio, given the chemistry they created in the second half of last season. Fiala meshing with Byfield was important, and while Laferriere ran hot and cold as a goal-scorer, the third-year forward can do the dirty work on the line and beat goalies from the slot area.

The third line defines the Kings’ style of play, with their forechecking prowess creating turnovers and their ability to drive play through their tenacity. Holland invested in the fourth line after coach Jim Hiller showed little faith in it this spring, particularly when he didn’t have an injured Tanner Jeannot at his disposal. Samuel Helenius, Jeff Malott, Alex Turcotte and Trevor Lewis played very little.

That will change with Perry and Armia. Perhaps no fourth-liner can compare with Perry’s combination of experience (1,392 regular-season games) and ability (448 goals). He’s also the active leader in playoff games with 237 and he’s got 64 goals, including 10 during the Edmonton Oilers’ run to a second straight Stanley Cup Final. Armia, 32, averaged 14 minutes for the Montreal Canadiens last season and played that much or more in three of their five playoff games against the Washington Capitals.

“He can go up and down the lineup,” Holland said of Perry. “Do I expect he’s going to play 18 minutes a night on the first line? No, and I don’t think he expects that. That’s not what he did the last few years. But some games, when things aren’t (clicking), he can go up the lineup. Because of his hockey sense and his hands – obviously he’s always been or was a player on the top line playing against the other team’s best players. So, he’s done that in his career, but in this stage of his career, I think he understands his role.

“Some nights, he’s going to be on the fourth line and (we) expect to see him on the power play. And there’s some nights when if you have an injury or somebody’s not going, he can go up and he can play on your top three lines. He can think with those people, and he can be successful moving up the lineup.”

Meanwhile, Holland sees Turcotte getting another shot at center. Turcotte has played a lot on the wing when he’s been with the Kings, and there will be increased responsibility when it comes to faceoffs — he won 45.5 percent last season on just 121 draws.

“Turcotte’s like a Swiss Army knife,” Holland said. “He can play left wing, he can play right wing, he can play with the skilled players.”

Defensemen

This could be where things hinge for the Kings, given that one-third of their blue line is different following the departure of Vladislav Gavrikov and trade of Jordan Spence.

Holland couldn’t retain Gavrikov, although the signs were very apparent that the 29-year-old was intent on heading to New York, even if it appeared that the Kings easily could have matched the seven-year, $49-million deal he signed with the Rangers.

It’s also clear that Hiller felt he needed more size than Spence, a 5-foot-11 puck-mover he didn’t trust to handle key minutes in the playoffs. Dumoulin and Ceci were imported to fill those holes and at 6-4 and 6-3, respectively — and with both over 200 pounds, they take care of that size quotient. Both also will be expected to log significant time on the penalty kill. However, the two aren’t known for their skating and don’t fill the need for more offense from the back end.

With incumbents Mikey Anderson and Joel Edmundson, the Kings now have four blueliners who aren’t known for their puck skills, and that will place a greater weight on Drew Doughty and Brandt Clarke to key their offense in transition. Edmundson and Ceci have heavy point shots, and that could mean an increased emphasis on cycle play in the offensive zone. But there’s a concern that the best days of Ceci and Dumoulin are behind them, though both were acquired by playoff teams last season.

“I think that we feel we got good depth on the back end,” Holland said. “And then again, obviously Drew Doughty coming back is a big piece of it. The growth of Brandt Clarke is a big piece of it. And then we’ve brought in two players who are what I would call pros. They’ve been around the National Hockey League a long time.

“Dumoulin’s got a Stanley Cup on his resume, or a couple. Cody Ceci’s gone to the Stanley Cup Final with Edmonton and went to the final four this year. They’ve been under the pressures of Stanley Cup playoff hockey deep into the playoffs, into the second and third and fourth rounds.”

Jacob Moverare and Kyle Burroughs are back to fill in for potential injuries. Both also served as seventh defensemen in games, but the Kings could be less inclined to veer from a traditional lineup with 12 experienced forwards available every night.

Goaltenders

The Kings’ system over the last few years has made multiple goalies look good, perhaps even better than they are. But that shouldn’t be considered the reason why Darcy Kuemper was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season. System or not, Kuemper was more than they could have possibly hoped for after they acquired him for Pierre-Luc Dubois. Now 35, Kuemper had the best season of his career by saving 22.5 more goals than expected while winning 31 games and finishing in the top three in goals-against average and save percentage.

The change here is bringing in Forsberg and moving on from David Rittich in the backup role. Forsberg, 32, averaged 27 starts for Ottawa over the last three seasons but showed in 2021-22 that he can handle a larger workload, as he made 44 starts while putting up a 22-17-4/2.82/.917 line in his best season. For the playoff-bound Senators last year, he was an effective backup for Linus Ullmark. He can step in and hold the net if Kuemper is injured — and be better than Rittich, who had a steep drop-off last season after a great 2023-24.

They’ve brought back Copley, 33, after he rebounded well following ACL surgery that ended his 2023-24 season early. He’s been an effective No. 3 since joining the Kings — including that massive step-in to help keep L.A.’s 2022-23 season on a winning track — and should team again with Erik Portillo with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

“We feel we’ve got good depth in goal,” Holland said.

(Photo of Joel Armia: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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