This will likely be the preface to all of this year's Season Preview posts: Unlike in the distant past where I would post different texts on this collectibles blog and my personal one, I've been using a new format for the past couple of years, where I'll copy the same text on each one. As a father of two young kids, I just do not have enough time to write two separate posts per day on each blog. This year again, the entire scope of the analysis will take place first and the featured player will have a direct or perhaps indirect connection to what's written, below.
Caveats: At this point, despite training camp being set to start in a little over a week, several players haven't found a team yet, (at least) three star players have active trade requests, and a few clubs are currently above the salary cap, which means there is much left to do.
Key exits: Andrei Kuzmenko (LW), Phoenix Copley (G), Mathieu Joseph (RW), Jeff Malot (LW), Jacob Moverare (D)
Key Arrivals: Mats Zuccarello (RW), Corey Perry (RW), Erik Haula (LW),Erik Gustafsson (D), Lane Pederson (C/RW), Scott Perunovich (D), Jan Jenik (D)
Top prospects: Elton Hermansson (LW/RW, 18), Liam Lefebvre (C, 19), Adam Goljer (D, 19),Carter George (G, 20), Hampton Slukynsky (G, 21), Henry Brzustewicz (D, 19), Franceso Pinelli (C, 23), Vojtech Cihar (RW, 19), Erik Portillo (G, 25)
I'm surprised there are so many prospects on this list, considering GM Ken Holland's propensity of trading them (and high draft picks) for aging veterans.
What makes their odds look good:
New head coach Peter Laviolette has a (long) history of over-delivering results in his first year behind a team's bench. Artemi Panarin is still a good first-line player.
Question marks:
What does life after Anze Kopitar look like? How much gas does Drew Doughty have left in the tank? How will goalies Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg split starts?
Outlook:
There are a lot more question marks on this team than there are sure-fire positives, and that's before factoring in the fact that the Los Angeles Kings have been ousted in the first round of the last five playoffs. Their so-called blue-chip prospects take longer than expected to become difference-makers, and there is a real possibility that Alex Laferrière (third-round pick, 83rd overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, generally considered a middle-six winger) might outscore Quinton Byfield (second-overall pick in the same draft, thought to be the team's #1 centre for the last couple of years) atop the team's standings this year.
Prediction:
5th in the Pacific Division.
Which brings us to Alex Turcotte. A former first-round draft pick himself (5th overall, 2019), he is about to begin his third full-time NHL season, having never posted a point-per-game average in (parts of) four different seasons in the AHL. Even with the Wisconsin Badgers of the NCAA, he had 9 goals, 17 assists and 26 points in 29 games in 2019-20, after five very productive seasons with the U.S. National Under-18 Team, playing behind the likes of Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Matthew Boldy, Trevor Zegras and Matty Beniers.
Here is Alfie Turcotte's son wearing the Kings' white (away) colours on card #SS-AT from Upper Deck's 2024-25 SPx set and Super Scripts sub-set:
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