The Kings head toward the 2026-27 NHL season with a handful of career milestones within reach, and the biggest numbers on the board belong to Artemi Panarin and Corey Perry.
Panarin is already close to 1,000 career points, and Perry sits at 972. Perry finished last season with 37 points, so he would need 28 more this year to get to 1,000. The source notes that the two biggest milestones for the Kings this season are those 1,000-point chases.
Quinton Byfield is another name to watch. He has 191 career points and needs just nine more to reach 200. After a 49-point season, that milestone looks like one of the earliest on the horizon.
Adrian Kempe is also closing in on a round number. He has 474 career points and is targeting 500 this season. With a track record as a 70-point scorer, he could get there sooner rather than later.
Erik Haula enters the season with 375 career points after putting up 38 last year with Nashville, while Scott Laughton sits at 289 career points and Brian Dumoulin at 194. If the Kings spread the offense around, those milestones could come as the year unfolds.
There are also a pair of non-point marks worth tracking. Kevin Fiala has 299 career assists and could reach 300 once he is fully healthy. Darcy Kuemper is at 489 career games and is in line to get to 500 this season.
For a team with several players on the doorstep of major career numbers, the 2026-27 season could turn into a steady parade of milestones.
In Other News...
Darcy Kuemper Just Put Kings Goalie Battle Back In Play
Darcy Kuemper had a chance to make an early statement in the Kings preseason work, but it did not go the way he needed. The veteran allowed five goals on 34 shots in a 6-3 loss to Utah, a rough night for a goalie trying to re-establish himself as the top option after injuries and a lost starting job last season.
The performance only adds another layer to what was already shaping up as a real competition in net under new coach Peter Laviolette. Laviolette has generally leaned toward having a primary goaltender, and his past connection with Kuemper in Washington gives this battle a familiar backdrop, but the door now feels more open than it did before this game. [Read more 🡒]
Erik Portillo Is Stuck In The Kings Toughest Roster Crunch
The Kings have already mapped out most of their crease plans, with Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg set as the clubs primary NHL goaltenders and rookies Hampton Slukynsky and Carter George lined up to split time in the AHL. That leaves Erik Portillo in a tricky spot, because he is in the mix as the organizations third goalie while still trying to force his way into a clearer role before the season gets rolling.
Ken Holland has already acknowledged how difficult it is to balance playing time across the depth chart, and Portillo is still battling for a roster spot as camp moves along. For the Kings, the bigger question is not whether they have enough names in net, but how they sort out who actually gets the most meaningful work when all of those goalies are trying to stay sharp and stay in the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Roster Battle Gets More Urgent In Preseason Trip To Anaheim
The preseason trip to Honda Center comes at a useful time for the Kings, who are still working through the edges of a roster that is far from settled. They have not picked up a preseason win yet, but there have been enough encouraging signs to keep the focus on bigger-picture evaluation, especially with a revamped power play showing better structure and a handful of regulars and hopefuls making impressions along the way.
Adrian Kempe and Quinton Byfield have been among the more visible standouts, while Artemi Panarin and Brandt Clarke have also given the staff reasons to keep sorting through combinations. Even with those positives, the lineup decisions remain very much in flux, and the Kings still have one more preseason chance to sort out where everyone fits before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]