Angeles Analysis – Back At It

Today’s the day, Insiders.

The LA Kings return to the ice this afternoon at Toyota Sports Performance Center at 2 PM for their first team practice coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The Kings last skated on February 8, as they completed a 3-in-4 set at home with five of a possible six points, ending with a 2-1 shootout loss against the Anaheim Ducks at Crypto.com Arena.

Following that day was some much needed time off. The Kings had a road-intensive schedule to end January, with a break in the action looking extremely inviting. The Kings had three homes games between that time away and the break and took care of business, winning twice plus the point versus Anaheim. Now, after nine days off, the team is back on the ice this afternoon, minus forward Adrian Kempe and defenseman Drew Doughty, who represented their countries in international play. Kempe is expected to have a bit of time off himself, while Doughty will play in Thursday’s championship game versus the United States.

With today’s skate coming up in a few hours, I’m not expecting to draw a ton from this practice. Today will likely be focused on conditioning, getting everyone back on the ice and up to speed. It’s not a second training camp, per say, but there will be elements of a modified version. After more than a week off, it’ll be important to get everyone back up to speed quickly yet smartly. The Kings will have a plan not just for the day but for the week, designed to get the group ready to go on Saturday when they host Utah Hockey Club, beginning a three-game homestand coming out of the break.

It’ll be nice to have some Kings things to talk about again.

The 4 Nations Face-Off, in my opinion, has greatly exceeded expectations over the first six games. I didn’t have a ton of expectations, personally. I wouldn’t say I wasn’t excited for it, but it certainly wasn’t like I was all-in going into the tournament. The level of hockey was really high and the buy-in and intensity from the players was even higher. Compare that to the yearly All-Star Game, which with all due respect is just not of interest to 90 percent of the players participating, and it seems to be really well received not only around the hockey community but around the sports community.

A rare win for the NHL compared to the NBA, isn’t it? Seeing articles about the NBA All-Star Game, compared to the 4 Nations tournament have been nicely slanted towards the NHL, with NBA players themselves hoping for a Team USA versus International players event next season. Something that would get players more interested in the event should be a win for everyone. 4 Nations has, if nothing else, given us that.

By the end of the day on Thursday, though, the 4 Nations will be a thing of the past. A fun memory and a good appetizer for the main course at the 2026 Winter Olympics on the international stage. For us, though, it’s a return to Kings hockey. Finally.

When the Kings hit the ice on Saturday, there’s a good chance they’ll be doing so as fully loaded as they’ve been all season. Assuming Kempe and Doughty both return to the mix ready to go, they could be joined by defenseman Mikey Anderson, who is currently on injured reserve but is expected to be on the ice with the team for practice later on this afternoon. Anderson’s return, combined with the return of Kempe and Doughty from international duty, would give the Kings a lineup they’ve only had for a single game this season and it came during that gauntlet of a January. With everyone healthy and everyone well-rested and recovered, the Kings would be hitting full strength for a stretch run that features 29 games in 55 days to conclude regular-season play. 29 games that likely will see the Kings need to earn around 30 points at minimum to reach the postseason. 30 points would ultimately seem a bit disappointing, considering, but 35 points would see the Kings hit 100 for the second time in three seasons. 40 would see the Kings set a franchise record for points in a season. They should, at least, be as fully loaded as possible to try and reach those goals.

There’s got to be some hope as well that full strength today isn’t full strength in a few weeks. The trade deadline is approaching on March 8. The 4 Nations break seemed to serve as a de-facto first deadline for teams, with activity in February greater this season than we’ve seen in past seasons. Minus defenseman Andreas Englund moving to Nashville via a waiver claim, the Kings were not a part of that movement.

With next season’s salary cap confirmed at the start of the month, the Kings know exactly how much room they could potentially take on in contracts that extend into 2026 and beyond. With Englund no longer on the NHL roster, they currently have 21 skaters active + Anderson on injured reserve, giving them a ballpark of the space they could bank in advance of the deadline. Reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman have the Kings targeting a right-shot forward and that would make some sense. Buffalo’s Alex Tuch was the latest name to surface via some speculation yesterday on social media. It doesn’t take much to connect the Kings to right-handed forwards on teams on the outside of the playoff field at this time. Yesterday the speculation was Tuch. Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, Jordan Eberle, Brock Boeser, Kyle Palmieri are right-shot forwards who could be available. Joel Armia and Jake Evans as well. Expect the names not to be limited to that group, though. Brock Nelson, Ryan Donato, Brayden Schenn, Yanni Gourde…..the list goes on. Certainly some names to keep an eye on approaching the deadline, with the Kings in a good position to bolster the roster if they so choose. But expect a lot of speculation over the next few weeks, with a low-scoring team naturally tied to forwards who can help. I do think the Kings would like to upgrade the roster. We’re going to hear a ton of names who could potentially do that, at a lot of different costs. Ears to the ground, Insiders. That time of the year.

Will dive into that a bit closer to the deadline. Between players up for new contracts and a group that feels close, but not fully complete, the Kings could be active over the next few weeks. See how things play out.

For today, it’s a return to practice at Toyota Sports Performance Center. 2 PM today and 11 AM Wednesday – Friday, before a morning skate at 10:30 AM on Saturday and a 7 PM game. Good to be back at it. Talk soon.