Los Angeles Kings center Alex Turcotte enters the 2026-27 season with plenty to sort out and not much time to sort it. This is a contract year, and for a player who has flashed enough to keep the conversation alive, the next few months are about proving he belongs in the Kings’ long-term picture.
The offensive numbers from last season did him no favors. Turcotte finished the 2025-26 regular season with three goals and 14 points in 62 games, a drop from the nine goals and 25 points he put up in 68 games the year before. His season line also included 11 assists and a minus-8 rating.
The underlying picture was a mixed bag. Turcotte posted a 4.5 shooting percentage and an 8.1 5-on-5 shooting percentage, while his advanced numbers came out at 1.3 points/60, 0.4 point shares and -0.5 WAR.
His possession results were stronger: 55.9 CF%, 57.0 SCF%, 95.4 PDO and 59.9 HDCF%. Even so, the finishing just wasn’t there.
He finished 9.1 goals below expected, a harsh number for a player who was still creating quality looks.
Injuries also interrupted the season and kept him out of more than a dozen games. He spent time on injured reserve in the second half, and that limited him to 62 appearances. For Turcotte, that has become part of the story too often early in his NHL career.
There was a chance for him to grab a bigger center role after the Kings traded Phillip Danault to the Montreal Canadiens last December, but he didn’t fully seize it. That matters now, because the opportunities on the depth chart are no longer going to be handed to him based on draft status alone.
Turcotte is in the final year of his current contract and would become a restricted free agent in the 2027 offseason if he is not re-signed before then. The Kings have to figure out what he is going to be for them, and he has to show them why he should stay in the picture.
The projected setup for this season has him on the fourth line with Joel Armia and Corey Perry. And while Turcotte can move between wing and center, the Kings and new head coach Peter Laviolette are now looking at him through a production-first lens.
That’s the reality after more than 150 career regular-season games. Turcotte has 13 goals and 43 points overall, and the path to a bigger role is not automatic. Anze Kopitar’s retirement this offseason does not mean Turcotte simply slides into a more prominent spot.
Erik Haula, Scott Laughton and projected No. 1 center Quinton Byfield are still ahead of him on the depth chart heading into training camp and the preseason. So for Turcotte, the target is much more modest than stardom. A season with 10 goals and 20-25 points would count as a solid step.
The Kings do not need him to become the kind of star center they may have pictured when they took him fifth overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. What they do need is a reliable bottom-six contributor who can stay healthy, keep creating chances and start turning some of them into goals.
In Other News...
Kings Prospects Just Got An Early Chance To Shake Up Fall Plans
The Kings are giving their prospects a clear early-stage audition next month, unveiling the schedule and roster for rookie camp and the annual Rookie Faceoff. The group will open with a practice in El Segundo before heading into a three-game slate against the Sharks, Ducks and Mammoth, a useful first look at a mix of recent draft picks and returning names who will be trying to make a mark before main camp gets underway.
The roster has some familiar prospect buzz attached to it, with Jared Wright, Kenny Connors and Henry Brzustewicz among the skaters to watch, and goalie prospects Hampton Slukynsky and Carter George also in the mix. For a team trying to keep building depth from within, this is the kind of September window where a strong showing can alter fall plans, even if one of the organizations most intriguing young pieces will be somewhere else getting his season started. [Read more 🡒]
Sammy Helenius Has A Real Kings Roster Fight On His Hands
Sammy Helenius already carved out a role for himself in Los Angeles last season, getting into 53 games and bringing the kind of straight-ahead physical presence that shows up in the hit column as much as on the score sheet. He chipped in five goals and four assists, and the Kings rewarded that work by keeping him around with a new deal, a sign the organization sees value in what he brings to a bottom-six group that always has to earn its ice time.
The next step is less about whether Helenius belongs in the picture and more about where he fits when training camp opens for 2026-27. The Kings have a genuine fight coming for the fourth-line center job, with Alex Turcotte among the names in the mix, and that competition should make for one of the more interesting roster battles on the back end of camp. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Rookie Camp Opens An Early Battle Fans Will Want To Watch
The Kings have opened rookie camp with a roster that gives a pretty clear look at the organizations next wave, blending familiar names with fresh additions. Fourteen players are back from previous seasons, including forwards Jared Wright and Kenny Connors and defensemen Henry Brzustewicz and Jared Woolley, while the group also features five players selected in the 2026 NHL Draft and 11 who spent last season with the Ontario Reign in the AHL.
For a team still sorting out its depth chart, the five-day rookie tournament with six teams should offer an early read on who is pushing for a bigger role and who is simply trying to stay in the mix. The Kings are also giving fans a chance to get a closer look with a public practice session on Sept. 11, a small but welcome checkpoint as the clubs prospect pipeline starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]