Kings Pacific Showdown: Wingers – Yahoo Sports

Two forwards lead the Los Angeles Kings with very different skill sets but are nonetheless elite players. Adrian Kempe possesses immense straight-line speed and elite finishing ability while in motion. He may not dangle the opposition consistently, but he is a highly effective North-South player who thrives on cycle play. The Swedish winger has a powerful and accurate one-timer when space is available on the ice. On the other hand, Kevin Fiala is a prototypical risk-averse East-West player, which makes him somewhat unique on the roster. When he is on top of his game, he is difficult to knock off the puck, shifty, and capable of delivering strong, precise passes. His finishing ability and skill in tight areas might make him the most talented forward on the roster and the most risk-averse.

The team’s depth looks solid this season, with Trevor Moore, a recent 30-goal scorer, still contributing valuable minutes when healthy but potentially being a bottom-six winger. Alex Turcotte, the former 5th overall pick from 2019, has played center and wing and seen time on the top line. He plays at a high pace, which bodes well for chemistry with top players.

Another notable player is Alex Laferriere, who has significantly exceeded his rookie totals. In 37 games, he has recorded 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points with a +10 plus/minus rating. He has shown excellent goal-scoring instincts this season, although mostly in streaks. Similarly, Warren Foegele, a free agent pickup for the Edmonton Oilers, has put together a comparable season to his career high, albeit without the same superstar talent. Foegele has been a crucial component of the Kings’ success this season and a significant reason why Quinton Byfield is thriving at center.

While their depth players are solid, they can also be inconsistent. Players like Tanner Jeannot, a rugged power forward, can hold their own among top-nine forwards. In the bottom six, the Kings have veteran Trevor Lewis, who excels in penalty killing and is on the verge of playing his 1,000th game. They have focused on building size within the roster outside of these two. Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee both provide that size, but it’s Helenius who brings the physicality. He typically plays center but is also an option at wing. Akil Thomas has acted as the 13th or 14th forward for most of the season despite being able to play center and having better finishing ability than Helenius and Lee.

The outlier in this mix is Arthur Kaliyev, who needs several roster spots to open up to have a legitimate chance at making the team. As a result, he will continue to find himself in limbo while the organization determines the best course of action for a forward who has previously played regularly for the Kings in seasons past.

Edmonton

As for the Edmonton Oilers, they boast some high-end talent in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, with Hyman coming off a remarkable 54-goal season. Nugent-Hopkins has been rotating between center and wing as his career has progressed, but he has performed best on the wing when paired with superstar Connor McDavid. Hyman, meanwhile, serves as an elite net-front presence. Although he sometimes receives criticism for being a beneficiary of McDavid’s presence, he has proven capable of scoring from a distance, much to the chagrin of Kings fans, who are well aware of his abilities.

The Kings need to keep an eye on Viktor Arvidsson, the former King. Despite being undersized, is absolutely tenacious with the puck. He can score from long range, as he’s one of the few players in the league capable of pulling up and taking a slap shot from anywhere on the ice. He’s also a dynamic presence on the powerplay as if the Oilers needed that. If he can stay healthy, he could be a major X-factor for the Oilers as the season progresses.

Another potential X-factor is Vasily Podkolzin, the former first-round pick from Vancouver. He has found a good rhythm playing alongside Leon Draisaitl. While his output isn’t explosive, Podkolzin has accumulated 13 points with a +7 rating in 37 games. The Oilers likely view him as a long-term project, especially after they sacrificed assets to maintain their championship window.

Regarding the Edmonton forwards, I believe the Kings have a clear advantage. The Oilers had hoped Jeff Skinner would be a productive forward, but he has struggled to secure consistent top-six minutes, averaging under 13 minutes of ice time per game.

Kasperi Kapanen is a decent addition, but he has just four goals and one assist with a -5 rating in 17 games. Connor Brown is a hardworking player known as a ‘team glue guy’ and is enjoying a resurgence in Edmonton, but he isn’t a natural play driver or a top-six winger. Lastly, the Oilers have Corey Perry, a veteran with over 1,000 regular season games and more than 200 playoff games under his belt. While he may not be the elite finisher he once was, he remains effective in a bottom-six role.

The Oilers do have Evander Kane on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), and his potential return could significantly impact the team. His performance has declined, and he has never played an entire NHL season. His cap hit could make things tricky for the Oil as they navigate the season.

Vegas

The Golden Knights boast premier talent with Tomas Hertl (38 games: 10 goals, 15 assists, 25 points) and Mark Stone (24 games: 9 goals, 23 assists, 32 points), who are elite wingers; Hertl can also play center. It’s worth noting that Stone has not played more than 65 regular-season games for the Knights in the past three seasons and has been on LTIR for critical parts of those seasons.

Victor Olofsson has received top-line ice time alongside Jack Eichel. After tallying only 15 points in 51 games with Buffalo last season, he has 13 points in just 18 games with Vegas. Similarly, Pavel Dorofeyev has performed well in the top six; in 38 games, he has scored 14 goals and 7 assists for 21 points, already surpassing his goal total from last season (13 goals in 47 games).

The Golden Knights’ bottom six forwards include former Kings Tanner Pearson, Keegan Kolesar, Alexander Holtz, and Jonas Rondbjerg. Holtz in Vegas mirrors Podkolzin in Edmonton—a long-term project from another team with standout potential. Kolesar and Pearson have championship experience. Pearson has had to revitalize his career after dealing with injuries since leaving LA, while Kolesar has been a consistent presence in the Vegas bottom six for over five years.

The Kings match up well on the wing with the Oilers and the Knights. When healthy, Stone is a significant X-factor; the combination of Stone and Hertl would likely outclass the Kings’ top wingers, Kempe and Fiala. However, regarding depth, the Kings hold the advantage with players like Turcotte over Holtz, Foegele over Pearson, and Jeannot slightly ahead of Kolesar. Moore also factors into this, as he doesn’t have a comparable in Vegas after the strength of the Stone/Hertl duo.

The same can be said for Edmonton, where the combination of Arvidsson, Hyman, and Nugent-Hopkins matches up well against Kempe, Fiala, and Moore. However, the dropoff in depth after these players is significant for the Oilers.

I believe the Kings have begun to establish themselves ahead of these two strong teams due to their depth. However, Edmonton and Vegas can shift elite centers to the wing, utilizing players like Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid, and Draisaitl in Edmonton and Hertl in Vegas.

On paper, the Kings win the depth battle against both teams, but the Oilers and Knights can rotate wings into center positions. This strategic flexibility could potentially overwhelm a Kings team that lacks this feature.

Required Reading:

Part One: Centers

Part Two: Defensemen