Will the Kings make the playoffs?

The Los Angeles Kings entered last off-season in something of an identity crisis. For the fourth consecutive season, they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs.

Defensive stalwart Vladislav Gavrikov departed for New York in free agency, and the Kings replaced them with veterans Brian Dumoulin and Cody Ceci.

Through 15 games this season, Los Angeles has just six wins this year, but has been kept afloat in the standings by four extra points from overtime and shootout losses. They have a minus-7 goal differential, and they have their work cut out for them if they want to return to the postseason, especially with Anaheim and Seattle having seemingly taken big steps forward so far.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed whether or not the Kings can turn their season around and make the Stanley Cup Playoffs again.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Let’s do a little pass or fail here on a couple of hot-button topics. Let’s start with the LA Kings, though. I was not high on the LA Kings coming into this season, and I’m looking at that Anaheim team now like which one would I rather pick? But the Kings have just six wins in their first 15 games. Pass or fail on the Kings looking like a playoff team right now?

Carter Hutton: I think fail right now. I just don’t think they’re there. Again, I don’t think they can’t be a playoff team. I still think there’s potential for them; they have a lot of depth. Darcy Kuemper is someone they really, really relied upon last year a lot. He’s 35 years old, and I start to worry is there sustainability when you look at Kuemper? Right now they’re a fail for me.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…