The Los Angeles Kings have a lot of questions surrounding them as they head into the 2025-26 season, hoping to finally make a deep run and get out of the first round of the playoffs. After some interesting decisions this offseason, NHL writer Andy Devlin asked three of his own questions.
The first question he asks is whether or not this is the last season for Anze Kopitar, who has had an illustrious career with the Kings, but could be closing in on the end of it.
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The second question was whether Brandt Clarke would be able to step up and become a trusted defender, moving forward in his development.
The third question was what kind of impact Corey Perry will have, and whether he can help the Kings make a deep run like he was able to help the Edmonton Oilers do over the past couple of seasons.
All three are good questions. Kopitar should be able to have another solid season, since he has proven he was able to play well despite getting older.
Clarke should be able to earn more ice time next season, and once the team recognizes that Cody Ceci would be better off playing bottom-pairing minutes, that should allow Clarke to elevate his game and prove he could become a star.
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Lastly, Perry has proven his worth in the postseason, and there shouldn’t be any doubts that he can bring that to the Kings. The Kings haven’t been able to get past the Oilers in the first round for the previous several seasons, but maybe adding one of their key contributors from last season could help them end that skid.