LOS ANGELES –– Meet the new Kings, (almost) the same as the old Kings.
Ahead of their season-opening, back-to-back set in which they’ll host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday and visit the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, Coach Jim Hiller offered a glimpse of his opening-night lineup.
Save for one injury-related swap, the top nine forwards, top four defenseman and starting goalie were all copied and pasted from the Kings’ fourth straight first-round ouster at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.
At the outset of 2025-26, the Kings could define insanity or defy the odds, placing their belief in a very similar group that they hope produces a very different result.
Continuity or stagnation?
As leading scorer Adrian Kempe pointed out last season after the Kings’ most impressive offensive d