2023 Kings Seasons In Review – Alex Iafallo

We’ve reached the final two seasons in review, Insiders! Looking back at the 2022-23 campaign for the organization’s fourth-longest tenured skater, Alex Iafallo. Feels absolutely ridiculous to be writing that sentence, doesn’t it? Iafallo has been an NHL regular with the Kings since 2017, though, and he has developed into an effective and versatile Top-9 forward who plays in all situations and is a quiet yet respected leader in the locker room.

Alex Iafallo
LAK Statline – 59 games played, 14 goals, 22 assists, +14 rating, 20 penalty minutes
Playoff Statline – 6 games played, 3 goals, 1 assists, +2 rating, 4 penalty minutes
Possession Metrics (Relative To Kings) – CF% – 52.4% (+0.4%), SCF% – 52.3% (-0.2%), HDCF% – 53.9% (-1.9%)

Iafallo began this season in a new role. He lined up not alongside Anze Kopitar, as he has in seasons past, but alongside two of the team’s most promising younger players in Quinton Byfield and Gabe Vilardi on opening night. Five points from four games later, he suffered an injury that cost him a couple months. Upon his return, Iafallo was moved around the lineup, playing on both wings with a variety of linemates. He typically played in the middle six, but matched his career-best in points-per-game. A look at this ups and downs of his season below.

Trending Up – Looking at per/60 metrics, this was the most productive season of Iafallo’s NHL career to date. Iafallo set career highs in goals, assists, primary assists and points on a per/60 basis this season, as he exceeded two points per/60 for the first time as a professional. Looking strictly at 5-on-5 production, Iafallo was one of the team’s most productive playmakers as he ranked fourth in both assists and points amongst Kings regulars on a per/60 basis. All of that production came without much, if any, time on the top line, which is where he’s mostly skated in seasons past. Iafallo played more than 200 minutes with four different linemates at 5-on-5, skating with the pairings of Danault/Arvidsson and Lizotte/Vilardi. Over 82 games, his production would amount to 50 points. Solid stuff from a player given mostly middle-six minutes.

Iafallo was also one of the team’s most productive players during the playoffs. His three goals over the six games trailed only Adrian Kempe for the team lead, and his 1.39 goals per/60 as 5-on-5 led the Kings. Looking at 5-on-5 production, Iafallo also trailed only Kempe in terms of points per/60 as he totaled at nearly an identical rate to the regular season. While he was most impactful at even strength, he also scored the overtime game-winning goal on the man advantage in Game 1. His production was supported by his creation of Grade-A chances, as he led the Kings in high-danger chances per/60 during the series. He was also on the ice for just one 5-on-5 goal against in the series, the only player who played in all six games to do so. Terrific series for number 19, as he was arguably the Kings second-best forward behind Kempe.

Trending Down – The biggest downside to Iafallo’s season, by the numbers, is that while his overall production was very solid, he only scored six goals at 5-on-5. Looking at supporting metrics, they suggest he should have scored more. Iafallo set career bests in terms of individual scoring chances and high-danger chances, but shot at a career low 5.9 percent, well below his career average. As a result, he posted the largest negative differential in his career between expected and actual goals. The disparity did not impact the production of the Kings as a whole with Iafallo on the ice, as his on-ice goals for was actually at the highest rate of his career, but it’s not hard to see a few more goals should the creation continue into next season.

Iafallo was also the Kings forward with the highest goals against per/60 this season on the penalty kill. Penalty killing is generally a team statistic, but when you breakdown when the goals went in, Iafallo was on the ice for the highest rate of goals against amongst regular Kings forwards on the penalty kill this season. It’s worth pointing out that the pattern changed in the postseason, as Iafallo’s goals against per/60 was actually the lowest on the team, but looking at regular-season play it is one blemish on the resume.

2023-24 Outlook– Iafallo has two seasons remaining on the four-year contract extension he signed back in 2021, carrying a cap hit of $4 million. Iafallo has largely performed right to that contract over the first two seasons, with his versatility and ability to play with anyone, at any time, a huge reason as to why. He’s played all over the lineup over the last couple of seasons and expect that to continue moving forward.

Iafallo is one of several players on the Kings linked in a move via external speculation, but internally he’s a player who is liked, respected and valued. He fits in on the first line and he fits in on the fourth line, and anywhere in between. He’s valuable on the power play and trusted on the penalty kill. On one side of the coin, he could be the last player you slot into your lineup because he can play any role. On the other side, he’s a player who others like playing with and he’s a guy you want to find the right home for. For those reasons, it’s hard to project exactly where he would slot in, but he’s a Top-9 forward somewhere in the lineup as the pieces around him fall into place.