For the last 19 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 20^th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer/fall. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

*** For more on each team, projections, line combinations, and a whole lot more, be sure to purchase your copy of the 2022-23 Dobber Hockey Fantasy Guide! ***

Gone – Dustin Brown, Andreas Athanasiou, Olli Maatta, Martin Frk, Austin Strand, Vladimir Tkachev, Troy Stecher, Christian Wolanin, Garret Sparks

Incoming – Kevin Fiala, Pheonix Copley

Impact of Changes – The big move from the offseason was obviously trading for, then extending, Kevin Fiala. The winger is coming off an 85-point season, finally reaching the full offensive upside fantasy players have been waiting years for. He can play both wings but was often on the right side in Minnesota. He is great in transition and is a very good scorer who can distribute the puck as well. The one concern is that he's not been a great power-play producer and the Kings had a bottom-5 power play. Maybe a new team, system, and line mates helps him and those around him. We will see.

Copley is just insurance for their goalie tandem of Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen. Neither had a great season and Quick will be 37 this winter. Whoever plays well will be the starter and Copley is third on the list, but he's a name to keep in mind if the goaltending can't hold up.

Los Angeles's blue line is the question here. They lost Maatta and Stecher, the former being solid defensively and the latter having finished last season strong. Their defence corps was decimated by injuries last year and if that happens again, there is depth missing that could hurt the team's all-around game. That is where the young guys will play an important role, which leads us to…

Ready for Full Time – The strength of the Los Angeles organization is their prospect pool. There is a reason they could trade with Fiala without giving up their top prospects. Even if we include Quinton Byfield as having already graduated to the NHL roster, there are plenty of prospects to watch.

At the top of the list is Brandt Clarke. Our prospect rankings had him 10^th among blue liners and our team is very high on him. He was over a point-per-game in Junior last year and is looking to crack the NHL roster. His problem is with Matt Roy, Drew Doughty, and Jordan Spence all right shots, even if he breaks onto the team, he probably won't be more than a third-pair guy. He has a shot at making the team out of camp but there's a big gap between making the team and being fantasy relevant in most formats. The latter looks in doubt unless he blows the doors off.

Having played parts of three seasons at the NHL level now, Gabriel Vilardi seems at a make-or-break point for asserting himself. There is also an uphill climb if they leave him at centre with Anze Kopitar, Phillip Danault, and Byfield looking like the top-3 middle-men. If he stays as a pivot, there could be a battle between him, Blake Lizotte, and Rasmus Kupari for the final centre slot (though Kupari himself could be moved to the wing). If he makes the Opening Night roster, Vilardi likely does so in the bottom-6, which is bad for fantasy.

When looking at Vilardi, Kupari, Alex Turcotte, and Samuel Fagemo, there are a number of guys that were expected to be future NHLers that haven't looked that way yet. The NHL roster is pretty full, leaving likely one roster spot for those four guys. Vilardi is my choice, but training camp can change things quickly.

Fantasy Outlook – What plagued Los Angeles in 2021-22 is something that has plagued this franchise for most of the last decade: shooting percentage. They were 8^th in shots generated per minute at even strength but were 20^th in goals per minute. The addition of Fiala, a rebound from Arvidsson, and hopefully some growth from Byfield should all help in this regard. That also fails to mention just having a healthy blue line; Doughty, Roy, Alex Edler, and Mikey Anderson combined to miss 124 games. There are good puck movers there and them staying on the ice should help the team sustain offence.

The power play will also need some help. A healthy Doughty and a new Fiala can hopefully move them out of the bottom-10 to even league average. This should be an improved offence at all strengths.

Getting good goaltending will be important. Petersen needs to prove last season was a blip and not a trend. If he can do that, he could be in a genuine split-start situation on a good team. That is valuable in fantasy as a depth pick.

Fantasy Grade – B (last year was C+)