2025–26 Edmonton Oilers’ Pacific rivals preview: Los Angeles Kings

After four straight first round matchups, one would think Edmonton Oilers fans are quite familiar with the Los Angeles Kings. Somehow, the familiarity has grown even deeper, now that former Oilers GM Ken Holland has taken over the Kings GM role. Many across Oil Country, and quite frankly across the NHL scope at large have already written off Holland’s moves so far, and with it the Kings.

Despite a strange fusion of a veteran core and a few high end draft picks, are the Kings cooked? Or is Holland cooking once again, mirroring the transformation that the Oilers enjoyed under his watch? 

Forwards

Kuzmenko—Kopitar—Kempe
Fiala—Byfield—Laferriere
Foegele—Danault—Moore
Armia—Turcotte—Perry

Though the Kings have consistently fallen short against the Oilers in the playoffs, there has been a progression over the last near-half-decade. This culminated with an incredible record last season, especially on home ice where the Kings could control the matchups. The main pillar of their success lies in the defensive abilities of their forwards, in particular their centres. 

Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault need no introduction here, though Quinton Byfield deserves some recognition for his strong results as well. Kopitar remains a force, though he and Danault are getting longer in the tooth. Perhaps Byfield can show some continued growth to offset their aging. Byfield could certainly increase his point totals with a more important role on the power play, though the Kings success here last season is more than worth repeating. 

The centres are not alone, as the Kings employ some tenacious wingers who win battles and help control play. Trevor Moore and former Oiler Warren Foegele are prime examples. Adrian Kempe always provides an offensive spark, as does Kevin Fiala, though the addition of Andrei Kuzmenko seemed to be just the right flair of skill for the Kings. 

The biggest change is the depth, as adding Corey Perry and Joel Armia finally gives the Kings something they have lacked in each of the past four seasons, a strong fourth line. Time will tell how much usage shifts, but this was clearly a top priority for Holland in reshaping the team. Oilers fans need no reminder of Perry’s net front abilities, which will make the Kings more dangerous, especially come playoff time. This also gives young centres like Alex Turcotte and Samuel Helenius a better chance at succeeding. 

Defence

Anderson—Doughty
Edmundson—Clarke
Dumoulin—Ceci

Depth is again a theme here, though the Kings blueline saw more aggressive changes under Holland. These moves have drawn the most criticism as well. While it seems that top shutdown defender Vladislav Gavrikov was eager to move elsewhere, the Kings shipped off yet another talented right shot defenceman in Jordan Spence. 

Following Sean Durzi and Matt Roy out of Los Angeles, the move has many confused. With Brandt Clarke representing the future of the right side, Holland clearly felt the need for a different look, bringing on a bigger, physical, penalty killing option in Cody Ceci. While Oilers fans are no strangers to bemoaning Ceci’s play, he was a big part of the Dallas Stars last season, earning a vote of confidence from perennial GM of the Year nominee Jim Nill. Brian Dumoulin joins Ceci in a similar role and contract on the left side. 

With Spence and Durzi gone, the Kings are older and more defensive on the back end. Fans might think it less fun, but there should be some positives involved as well. The Kings may have a few younger defencemen who could push for regular spots, most notably left shots Samuel Bolduc and Kirill Kirsanov. 

Goalies

Kuemper
Forsberg
Copley
Portillo

Darcy Kuemper had an incredible season, even finishing as a Vezina Trophy finalist. These lofty heights should not be the expectation, but clearly the Kings defensive system helps them get the most from their goalies. This should help Anton Forsberg in having a good shot as the backup. 

Phoenix Copley is another option, but perhaps Erik Portillo is worthy of a chance. Portillo has a decent resume, and is at the point where he might warrant a real look in the NHL. With promising prospects Carter George and Petteri Rimpinen years away, Portillo will have the inside track on taking over for the aging Kuemper in the future. It all begins with a strong camp, and likely some AHL time, but more NHL time could be on the horizon. 

Path to success

Their path being blocked by the Oilers is more unfortunate than it is shameful. The Kings have suffered the same fate four seasons in a row, but over that stretch the Oilers have been a powerhouse of the Western Conference at large. To be fair, the series have always featured some precarious moments for the Oilers. This hardly matters for the proud Kings, who decided to change GMs. 

Granted the strange concept of their retool, keeping veterans who brought multiple Stanley Cups to the team while adding a handful of high draft picks, the Kings path to the top relies on the convergence of the two timelines. Any shot at a Stanley Cup relies on Byfield and Clarke pushing Kopitar and Doughty top options. 

The Kings had an incredible regular season, but still it was not enough. The response has been to get older and deeper. At the very least they have a good chance of making the playoffs again this season, where a more favourable matchup might help change perception. Oilers fans will be accustomed to Ken Holland’s aversions to futures, or “green bananas,” signalling that the Kings are ready to live in the moment.