Stanley Cup Playoffs 2025: What the Kings must address after fourth consecutive first-round loss to the Oilers

There was a palpable sense that this year might finally bring a different outcome for the Los Angeles Kings. They had outperformed the Edmonton Oilers during the regular season, and that trend seemed set to continue through the first two games and initial two periods of their playoff series.

The Kings were determined to end a three-year pattern of playoff eliminations by the Oilers, and securing Games 1 and 2 on home ice suggested that was the likely path. However, things quickly unravelled for Los Angeles. The team suffered four consecutive defeats, two of which involved squandering third-period leads, resulting in the same playoff exit they`ve experienced every year since 2022.

This most recent playoff defeat at the hands of Edmonton might be the most painful yet. The circumstances appeared ideally set up for the Kings. They were deploying tight defensive play against an Oilers offense heavily reliant on its top-tier talents. Furthermore, the Kings` offense, which had shown improvement late in the season, was set to face an Edmonton blue line that was without key shutdown defenseman Mattias Ekholm.

In goal, the Kings seemed to hold a clear edge. Darcy Kuemper is a Vezina Trophy finalist, whereas Stuart Skinner had demonstrated considerable inconsistency throughout the season.

Yet, despite these advantages, Los Angeles could not overcome their nemesis in royal blue and orange. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and their teammates once again proved too formidable for the Kings to vanquish.

Without resorting to the `definition of insanity` cliché, it`s evident that significant changes are necessary for Los Angeles moving forward. Whether adjustments are needed in personnel, coaching philosophy, or player deployment, let`s examine what transpired for the Kings and what requires modification.

Personnel

This matchup was largely characterized as the Kings` depth against the Oilers` potent firepower. While depth appeared to be the winning formula through two games, Edmonton`s offensive stars ultimately caught fire. McDavid, Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard seized control of the series late in Game 3 and maintained their dominance thereafter.

The Kings` issue isn`t simply the absence of a player like McDavid – that`s a challenge shared by 30 other NHL teams.

Los Angeles simply lacks a sufficient number of dynamic offensive stars – players capable of consistently creating their own scoring chances. Adrian Kempe is a capable shooter, as seen at times in this series. Kevin Fiala is a skilled playmaker in the offensive zone. Anze Kopitar remains one of the game`s premier two-way forwards, and Quinton Byfield appears to be trending in a similar direction. However, none of these players generate instant offense at the level of McDavid or Draisaitl.

In the final four games of the series, McDavid and Draisaitl combined for 14 points. Bouchard also made crucial contributions with four goals in pivotal victories in Games 3 and 4.

If the Kings are to capitalize on the championship window they have initiated, General Manager Rob Blake must be proactive in his pursuit of truly elite playmakers. While such players are rare, recent Stanley Cup champions (such as the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights) have successfully landed significant personnel upgrades.

This offseason, the NHL salary cap is poised for another substantial increase, which could facilitate player movement through free agency and trades. The Kings need to be active participants in this market as they aim to strengthen their roster in anticipation of the very real possibility of encountering the Oilers again in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Philosophy

Another prominent issue for the Kings in this series was their handling of third-period leads, particularly in Games 3 and 4. While it`s understandable for a team to play to its established identity – and Los Angeles was highly effective at shutting down opponents with late leads during the regular season – this strategy becomes significantly more challenging to execute against an Oilers team capable of scoring instantly.

After narrowly avoiding a collapse by attempting to `park the bus` in Game 1, the Kings largely employed this strategy to varying degrees in Games 3 and 4 when they held a lead entering the third period. Following competitive first 40 minutes where the Kings, sometimes on their heels, took advantage against a weakened Edmonton defense, they attempted to rely heavily on their two-way forwards and veteran defensemen.

This approach proved entirely ineffective. McDavid and the rest of the Oilers` top offensive weapons thrived, exploiting any breathing room the Kings provided as Los Angeles unsuccessfully attempted to defend the ice in front of Kuemper.

The statistics from Natural Stat Trick offer a clear picture of the Kings` third-period struggles in Games 3 and 4:

This type of shutdown approach with late leads has been a characteristic of the Kings` play style, dating back to Todd McLellan`s coaching tenure from 2019 to 2024. When Jim Hiller was promoted to the head coaching role, he largely maintained this identity. While this approach has helped the Kings win numerous regular-season games, it clearly has limitations when attempting to finish games against one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

It`s understandable that a team like the Kings would want to minimize risks late against an opponent as dangerous as the Oilers. However, Los Angeles might have benefited from maintaining a bit more offensive pressure to keep Edmonton on their heels in high-leverage situations.

Player usage

Credit to Coach Hiller, who did attempt to utilize his team`s depth advantage in the series. Nine different Kings players averaged over 20 minutes of ice time per game, compared to only six for the Oilers. The difficulty for Los Angeles was that many of these players, especially veteran defensemen, were not sufficiently effective during their time on the ice.

For example, Drew Doughty and Mikey Anderson were assigned the challenging task of facing McDavid`s line. Despite their effectiveness as a duo in the regular season, they struggled in this specific matchup. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers controlled over 75% of expected goals when McDavid was on the ice against Doughty and Anderson at five-on-five.

However, Doughty and Anderson were not alone in their struggles. The other veteran defensive pairing of Joel Edmundson and Vladislav Gavrikov also performed below even at five-on-five.

These results raise questions about why the highly skilled and mobile (albeit young) defensive duo of Jordan Spence and Brandt Clarke wasn`t given more opportunity. These two averaged just 7:31 and 12:47 minutes per game, respectively. While coaches are often hesitant to deploy young defensemen in critical moments, particularly in the playoffs, this pairing could have provided a much-needed offensive spark from the back end, having combined for 61 points in the regular season.

At minimum, Spence and Clarke could have absorbed more minutes during the earlier portions of games, potentially leaving players like Doughty and Anderson with more energy remaining for closing out wins. While it`s possible the younger defensemen might also have encountered difficulties, they likely deserved a longer leash than they were given.