Projecting the Los Angeles Kings' Opening Night Roster

We're now less than one week from the start of the NHL season. Teams are finalizing their rosters and signing their RFAs, and players are biding their time until the regular season opens. The LA Kings are in a position of uncertainty with their club. Once a dynasty rivaled only by the Chicago Blackhawks, their run through the 2010s culminated in two Stanley Cups in three years. The players that led that charge are still with the team, and in key roles to boot. However, a few down years have allowed the Kings to draft some top-end talent that will be making an impact in the NHL in a matter of time. One of those players, last year's 2nd-overall pick Quinten Byfield, fractured his ankle last week and is out indefinitely. Once he recovers he may end up on the Kings roster, but he won't be there for game 1. That changes things in LA, and the line shuffling has begun to see how this roster will look come opening night. Let's take a look a what's come together, starting with the forwards:

Viktor Arvidsson - Anze Kopitar - Dustin Brown

Adrian Kempe - Phillip Danault - Alex Iafallo

Lias Andersson - Gabe Vilardi - Vladimir Tkachev

Andreas Athanasiou - Trevor Moore - Arthur Kaliyev

Brendan Lemieux

Carl Grundstrom

Jaret Anderson-Dolan

The loss of Byfield puts the Kings in a sticky situation at centre, They'd probably prefer to have Danault as their 3C given his inclination towards the defensive side of the game. With that said, the preseason that was had by the Andersson-Vilardi-Tkachev combination suggests that they will serve the Kings' needs, at least for now. That leaves Kaliyev, who scored a hat trick against the Ducks last week, down on the 4th line. Technically the 2 LW spot is open, but Kempe's season last year should make him the priority to start in that spot. Should Kaliyev continue his strong play, he may steal that role before long, but he's shown the ability to play on his off-wing and the Kings may want to take advantage of that flexibility.

On defence, more new additions and young prospects make up a mostly-untested Kings' blueline:

Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty

Alex Edler - Sean Walker

Tobias Bjornfort - Matt Roy

Olli Mattaa

Kale Clague

The pairing of Edler and Walker seems to find some chemistry as pre-season wore on, and are a safe bet to line up together at the start of the season. Whether that be on the second or third pairing is still unclear, but the Kings will likely want to shelter youngster Tobias Bjornfort a bit longer before they push him up the lineup. Mikey Anderson took major strides in his game last season and will line up alongside future Hall-of-Famer Drew Doughty to start the year. He'll be expected to bring his game even further along if he'd like to hold on to that spot for the whole season.

In goal, the same pair that held the crease in LA last season returns for another go:

Cal Petersen

Jonathan Quick

Garrett Sparks

The starter's net now officially belongs to Petersen, with Quick acting as backup. Petersen was recently signed to a three-year extension worth $5 million AAV, which is just $800,000 less than what Quick makes currently. Quick has one more year on his deal with the Kings after '21-'22, and may end up as a rental come this season's trade deadline if the team manages to find a buyer. However, that would require Garrett Sparks to prove himself ready to be an NHL backup on a full-time basis, something he has struggled with in the past.

What do you think of LA's roster this season, and what would you change?

Photo credit: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports