INSIDER: Offense The Name Of The Game at LA Kings Camp

The theme of LA Kings training camp through the first three practices has been very similar, seemingly regardless of who you ask.

Offense.

It’s not exactly surprising.

The Kings scored 220 goals last season, the fourth-fewest in the NHL. The power play converted at just 17.8 percent, the fifth-lowest number in the NHL. We’ll get to the power play later in the week, as the Kings have worked on it now in consecutive practices. Under Assistant Coach Ray Whitney, we can expect to see some new concepts in place, along with a high-ceiling for the personnel.

The offensive uptick needs to come in a variety of ways, though, including 5-on-5, which has been the bread and butter of what the Kings have done offensively.

From the start of the summer, General Manager Ken Holland has been up front that the Kings need to score more goals this season than they did last season. When you hire Peter Laviolette to coach your team, there’s certainly a foundational shift in the way that the Kings will think the game. It’s not defense be damned, but offense won’t feel optional.

For Artemi Panarin, Laviolette’s philosophies are nothing new.

The most productive season of Panarin’s career came under Laviolette in New York. His 49 goals and 120 points in 2023-24 were both career highs, the first season that Laviolette and Panarin worked together. Panarin is going to produce anywhere, with anyone, don’t get that mistaken. Clearly, though, this is a system that Panarin enjoys and thrives in, as he noted earlier in camp.

“I’m very happy,” Panarin said, to play under Laviolette again. “He has very aggressive and attack style-oriented tactics, which is very good news for all the attackers on the team. [The system here], it feels pretty similar right now, hard to find something like crazy different.”

Good news on that front, as Panarin is concerned.

For Scott Laughton, the gap is a bit more substantial.

While Panarin and Laviolette were together in New York as recently as 2025 in New York, it’s been longer for Laughton. All the way back to his first NHL training camp, in fact. After the Philadelphia Flyers selected him in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Laughton came to his first main camp under Laviolette, back when the latter was behind the bench in Pennsylvania.

As he got out there on the ice, though and the team started going through drills in the offensive end, the concepts came back. Laughton was just 18 at the time but some of the things Laviolette is teaching are similar to what he learned all those years back. Concepts that have continued to have success over the years.

“I was pretty wide-eyed back then, it’s hard to believe it was 14 years ago, but a lot of the things that I do remember is the offensive-zone stuff, just tactically what he does and everything,” Laughton said. “It’s good to get back with him and I think the staff they put together makes a lot of sense and everything’s been very clear for us the first couple days of camp.”

In speaking more with the forwards who have yet to experience a Laviolette-led camp, the offensive concepts are what have stood out among the players.

The Kings have been a defense-first organization for a long time. They had a lot of success playing that way when they won in 2012 and 2014, but that’s 12 years ago. Last season was a double down on that approach and the team regressed. There was an understanding this summer that they needed to push the ledger back the other way. The coaching hire reflected that. The moves the team made reflected that. First few days of camp have as well.

“There’s definitely more emphasis on offense, without giving up defense,” forward Trevor Moore said. “It’s just been a lot of good, competitive drills, which has been fun. A lot of small area games, a lot of competition, just stuff that makes it fun and makes it competitive.”

The biggest theme we’ve has been the motion and creativity players are being encouraged to use with the puck. That was very noticeable during power-play practice but, at the same time, there were drills designed towards creating that motion offensively as well.

In watching drills on Days 1 and 2, there was a ton of motion at the offensive end. Players were cycling with regularity and within the offensive zone, you’d see players darting through the zone, running motion and trying to increase time and space. Players are starting to pick up on that.

“Movement,” forward Alex Laferriere said of the differences. “I think he wants everybody to be moving and supporting each other and I think it’s going to create a lot more o-zone time and create a lot more chances. Similar the past, he’s focused on guys getting to the net, tips and stuff like that, so that’ similar, but I think just supporting and the movement down low is a lot different.

Not just Laferriere picking up on it, either.

Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe have both noticed similar things early in camp, as Laviolette looks to put his stamp on how the Kings play with the puck.

Byfield – In the o-zone, they want some more motion, some more movement, setting some picks for each other. Instead of turning away, turn back into the play, little drops, so there’s a lot more motion in the o-zone. Even in the neutral zone as well, it’s not standing around, go get their D. There’s some good changes there.

Kempe – There’s more movement in the o-zone for sure. The way he thinks in the offensive zone is something you maybe haven’t done before……just a little bit different now with Lavi. I feel like that’s the main thing that’s going to be a big difference from previous years. O-zone movement, get the D active on cycles, all that stuff is going to be a big difference from before.

At the heart of it is a simple concept – making plays offensively.

With the changes Laviolette is looking to implement, forwards will be encouraged to make plays in the offensive zone. There will be a ton of opportunities for forwards to make things happen. Defensemen are encouraged to activate as well, both in the zone and off the rush. It should, ideally, allow for more outnumbered situations, which can allow for offensive players to make offensive plays.

“Just working on concepts, I think he frees you up to make plays and kind of do your thing in the offensive zone, with a couple things in the back of your mind, “Laughton said. “It frees you up a little bit and he wants to see you make plays, which is good. We’ll see how it goes but it’s been awesome so far.”

So, that’s been early days.

The Kings will have the opportunity to put some of those things into action tomorrow evening with their veteran players, as several of the team’s more experienced forwards are expected to make their preseason debuts. It’ll be Artemi Panarin’s first exhibition game as a member of the Kings. Likely won’t see Mats Zuccarello, as he works his way back to 100 percent, but guys like Kempe and Byfield are likely to feature as well as the Kings look to get their power-play units together and their big guns on the ice at the same time.

We saw snippets of what Laviolette has tried to implement on Saturday but it was a younger group and it was snippets, not a full display. The hope is that things are more noticeable with the veterans, as they line up against the Mammoth tomorrow evening. Might not be perfect, it’s still training camp. Guys are still breaking certain habits and trying to implement new ones. It’s been a welcomed change for many, who are excited to open things up a bit offensively. It’s not a free for all, but there should be a bit more freedom to make plays with the puck and try and score goals. Exciting to see it in action tomorrow, for the first time with those who will be executing it in the regular season to come.