The Los Angeles Kings are still pushing ahead with a win-now plan for 2026-27, even though a large chunk of their own fan base would rather see the team take a different road.
That split showed up in a survey Eric Stephens of The Athletic ran with more than 850 people who identified as Kings fans. When asked about the team’s overall competitive direction, 69 percent said they wanted a rebuild. Only 31 percent chose “try to win now.”
That tension matters because the Kings have made their intentions pretty clear. Even after franchise icon Anze Kopitar retired earlier this year, the club stayed busy in free agency, bringing in veterans Mats Zuccarello, Erik Haula, Erik Gustafsson, Corey Perry, and Scott Laughton. With Hockey Hall of Famers Luc Robitaille and Ken Holland steering hockey operations, Los Angeles is still acting like a team that believes a playoff spot is there for the taking.
The problem is that the results have not matched the ambition. The Kings spent the years from 2018-19 through 2021-22 rebuilding after their two Stanley Cup runs in the early 2010s, and the process did move the team forward.
Los Angeles went from 30th in 2018-19 to sixth in 2024-25. But the payoff has been thin.
The Kings have been bounced in the first round in each of the last five seasons, including four straight losses to the Edmonton Oilers.
So even as the front office keeps aiming for a sixth consecutive playoff team in 2026-27, the pressure around that plan may keep building. A fan base that’s already leaning hard toward a rebuild is not likely to get quieter if the postseason story stays the same.
Elsewhere around the hockey world, Montreal’s rise is getting a little more credit for what’s happening behind the bench and away from the spotlight. The arrivals of Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov, and Juraj Slafkovsky have drawn the biggest headlines, but Arpon Basu of The Athletic pointed to a different piece of the Canadiens’ climb: the work of veteran athletic trainer Jim Ramsay.
Basu wrote that Ramsay’s influence has helped improve injury recovery and prevention in Montreal, and said that “Ramsay strongly discouraged players from playing through injuries,” while also giving recovery timelines that “were almost always accurate.” Basu linked that approach to the Canadiens looking much healthier than they did during the toughest stretch of the rebuild.
And Keith Kinkaid is keeping his career alive, just not in the way he once hoped. The 37-year-old goalie, who hasn’t appeared in the NHL in three seasons and hasn’t played in the AHL in two, has signed on with the Saint John Flames in the Ligue de Hockey Senior Beausejour, a seven-team senior league in Canada.
Kinkaid had said last year that he was still looking for another shot in pro hockey, but a strong run in 3ICE did not lead to a full-time contract. He spent 2025-26 with the Deer Lake Red Wings in the CWSHL, another senior league in the Maritimes.
His last affiliated game came in 2024-25 with the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates, where he went 10-18-3 in 32 appearances with an .893 save percentage.
In Other News...
Mats Zuccarello Gives The Kings A Veteran Boost They Needed
A familiar veteran presence is heading to Los Angeles, and the Kings are hoping Mats Zuccarello can bring more than just scoring touch. After seven seasons with the Minnesota Wild, the winger signed a one-year deal for the 2026-27 NHL season, giving the Kings an experienced forward who still produced last year with 15 goals and 54 points in 59 games, then added nine points in eight playoff games.
For a roster adjusting after the departure of former captain Anze Kopitar, Zuccarello looks like the kind of steady, detail-oriented addition that can help on and off the ice. His fit will be watched closely because the Kings are not just looking for offense here, they are looking for leadership, reliability and a player who can help settle a changing room while still contributing at a high level. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Fans Just Got A Full Season Of Reasons To Show Up
The Kings are already setting the tone for 2026-27 at Crypto.com Arena, and the promotional schedule they released makes clear this is going to be a season built for the home crowd. The slate mixes throwback nostalgia with pop-culture tie-ins, starting with a 60th anniversary retro goalie mask giveaway at the home opener and continuing through a calendar of themed nights and special events meant to keep the building buzzing all year.
There is plenty for fans to circle, from Marvel Night and its Dr. Doom x Adrian Kempe bobblehead to Elf Night with an Elf hat giveaway and Star Wars Night featuring an Artemi Panarin-Skywalker bobblehead. The idea is as much about celebrating the franchises history as it is about giving supporters fresh reasons to show up, and the range of promotions suggests the Kings want every stretch of the season to feel like an occasion. [Read more 🡒]