Moving on to the third line, taking a look now at Blake Lizotte’s season as the most regular third-line center throughout the course of the season. Lizotte had a variety of linemates this season, in a couple of different roles, but was generally the same player in each of them, and the same player we’ve seen over the past couple of seasons.
Blake Lizotte
LAK Statline – 81 games played, 11 goals, 23 assists, +11 rating, 70 penalty minutes
Playoff Statline – 3 games played, 0 goals, 0 assists, even rating, 2 penalty minutes
Possession Metrics (Relative To Kings) – CF% – 54.3% (+2.6%), SCF% – 54.8% (+2.5%), HDCF% – 57.5% (+4.4%)
Lizotte’s season started where you would have expected – on a line playing between Brendan Lemieux and Arthur Kaliyev. A line that was extremely effective and consistent a season ago. As the season progressed and the Kings searched for consistency as a team, Lizotte’s role grew as he took control of the center position on the third line, between two of the team’s most gifted offensive players in Kevin Fiala and Gabe Vilardi. His time on ice was nearly a full minute higher, per game, than a season ago as he put forth a strong season playing within himself.
Trending Up – First things first, Lizotte had a career year offensively, with those totals not coming at the expense of his energy and defensive game. 11 goals, 23 assists, 34 points were all career highs for Lizotte, as he posted 10+ goals and 25+ points for the second consecutive season. Lizotte’s per/60 totals were also career highs in goals, assists, primary assists and points. Lizotte ranked in the Top-5 on the Kings in assists per/60 and he trailed only Kevin Fiala in 5-on-5 primary assists per/60. His performance merited a promotion to the third line, which he held for much of the season. Well done overall.
Lizotte was also an analytical darling this season. He led the Kings in percentage of scoring chances controlled and ranked second behind regular linemate Gabe Vilardi in high-danger chances and shot attempts. Long story short, the Kings not only had the puck regularly when Lizotte was on the ice, but they generated quality looks in the process. Looking at relative totals, Lizotte led the team in just about every category. Shot attempts, shots on goal, scoring chances and high-danger chances, Lizotte posted the highest relative numbers from when he was on the ice to when he was on the bench. Solid reflection on him for being more than just an energy player.
On top of all of that is still an appreciation for the hard work and honest nature of Lizotte’s game.
“Blake Lizotte means a lot to our team,” Todd McLellan said. “He is a sparkplug, he’s the Energizer Bunny, if you want to call him that and he often drags everybody into the game. He’s a real good penalty killer, he’s pretty good in the faceoff circle, he’s tenacious…..we missed all of his other attributes on the ice [when he was injured in the postseason].”
Trending Down – For a variety of reasons, Lizotte’s regular season output didn’t translate over into the playoffs. First things first, he was far from 100 percent during the series against Edmonton, missing Games 3, 4 and 5 with a back injury that made it difficult even to stand up at times. In the games he did play, he was not at full strength. With that being said, the Kings controlled far less of the puck when Lizotte was on the ice in the playoff series than they did during the regular season, controlling around 10 percent fewer shot attempts per/60. In the regular season, the Kings allowed just over 50 shot attempts per/60 with Lizotte on the ice. In the playoffs, that number was higher than 70. Sample size is sample size and three games versus 81 will make numbers look more extreme, but the possession numbers did fall off against Edmonton.
There was also one other career high for Lizotte that isn’t as positive as the others – penalty minutes. Lizotte led the Kings in penalties drawn per/60. He also led the Kings in penalties taken per/60. Lizotte took 25 minor penalties this season, one shy of Kevin Fiala for the most on the Kings and tied for the 20th most in the NHL. Among the 233 forwards with at least 1,000 minutes played at all strengths, Lizotte ranked sixth-highest in minor penalties per/60. Not every penalty is the same, but overall that total has to be lower next season, especially when considering that Lizotte is a part of the team’s penalty-killing unit.
2023-24 Outlook– Lizotte has one season remaining on the two-year contract extension he signed at the trade deadline in 2022. Lizotte’s deal carries an AAV of $1,675,000 and he will be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2024 season, eligible to potentially sign an extension as of July 1 and beyond.
Lizotte has carved himself out, perhaps even willed himself into, a growing role with this team. As this season showed, that role is still growing and evolving as he proved that he can be more than just a fourth-line center on a winning team throughout a season. If Lizotte is your 4C, which he was when everyone was healthy and performing, you should feel really good about your depth at center because that’s a damn good fourth-line center. He also showed chemistry with Kevin Fiala and Gabe Vilardi on an effective third line and not only could he keep up, but he thrived and enhanced those around him. A lot of pieces up front for the Kings, but they know they’ve got a reliable and versatile one in Lizotte when putting line combinations on the board.
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