2019 Los Angeles Kings Odds to win Stanley Cup with Expert Predictions

What went well for the Los Angeles Kings last season? Pretty much nothing. It was ugly from top to bottom. The team wound up with the worst record in the Western Conference and second worst overall behind only the Senators. Ilya Kovalchuk was absolutely disastrous as a free agent decision. Captain Anze Kopitar seemed to have suddenly forgotten how to play hockey - at least compared to what he is capable of. Drew Doughty had a lousy year - the same year his massive new contract kicked in. Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter both disappointed. There just weren't any bright spots to draw on. And when things go that badly, you can be sure a coaching change will be tried. John Stevens was fired after just 13 games - and four wins. Willie Desjardins was given the job for the rest of the season, but he could not stop the runaway train.

L.A. Kings Offseason Moves
 

The first thing the Kings had to do this offseason was to find a new head coach. And they found a good one in Todd McLellan. He struggled in Edmonton, but so have a dozen other coaches over the last decade or more. McLellan had much more success further up the state of California in San Jose. And as long as he is given patience and freedom in L.A., he could build towards some success here, too.

McLellan doesn't have a lot of new faces to work into the lineup - at least not veteran ones. The team did not add much in the way of established new blood. The most notable addition is Russian Nikolai Prokhorkin. The team drafted the 25-year-old forward way back in 2012, but he headed back to Russia after just eight games in the AHL and terminated his contract with the Kings. He had 41 points in 41 games in the KHL last year. And after deciding to finally give the NHL a try, he signed as a free agent with the team that drafted him. He's flexible, able to play center or both wings. It's not clear where he will wind up playing, but McLellan will try a few different things. Maybe another Russian is what Kovalchuk needs to get back on track.

One guy McLellan won't have to deal with is Dion Phaneuf. The defenseman wasn't coming close to earning his big contract, so the team bought out the last two years of his contract this summer. They could have done the same a couple of years ago, and he won't be missed.

The draft was a big opportunity after a bad season. Bad luck saw them fall to the fifth pick despite having the second most balls in the lottery. They selected center Alex Turcotte from the U.S. National Team Development Program. He has serious upside - as the draft position suggests - but he has committed to play at Wisconsin this year, so his impact won't be immediate. It would be a real surprise if he plays more than one year in college, though.

L.A. Kings NHL Outlook

There is, perhaps, some upside on this team. If all of the underachieving veterans from last year can find their game, then they could be a little better than last year. Maybe. But that doesn't feel likely to happen. And at this point it probably isn't in the best interest of the team to do so. They have plenty of young guys coming along, and they need to figure out what they have. And it's not like the older guys they have are good enough to win it all even if they play at their full capacity. They can improve from their 71 points of last season, but likely not by much . This is not a team that is playing for right now. I just hope they are smart enough to realize that.

L.A. Kings Schedule

The season opens with three home games against divisional foes. Then they go on the road for five games against good teams - at least four strong playoff contenders. Then they go on the road for four more, with two against good teams. That's a rough stretch of games in October. Unless this team is surprisingly good - which they won't be - they could find themselves in a dark place before Halloween is even here.

L.A. Kings NHL Futures Odds
 

The Kings are tied with the Ducks as the third longest shot on the board to win the Stanley Cup at +6600. They are +3300 to win the Western Conference, which ties them with Anaheim as the last choice in the group, and they are the long shot to win the Pacific Division at a massive +5000. The season point total sits at 74.5, with -110 available on both the "over" and the "under". They are at +300 to make the playoffs and -360 to miss them.

2019-20 L.A. Kings Predictions
 

If they get better goaltending, and better play from some veterans, then they could aim for 80 points. There is no guarantee in that, but I'd be tempted to play the over on the season point total. But there is pretty much no way that this is going to be a playoff team. McLellan is good, but not that good.

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