Kings 2024-25 NHL Season Betting Preview: Points Total, Player Futures Odds and Predictions
By Nate Duffett
We are 13 days from the NHL's opening night on Oct. 8. The daily NHL picks will return once the season starts, but leading up to the big day I'll preview some future bets for every team in the league. Check out our previous article where we bet some futures for Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Let's look at two futures bets for the Los Angeles Kings in 2024-25.
Los Angeles Kings Future Bets for 2024-25 Season
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
- OVER 96.5 Regular Season Points
- Darcy Kuemper OVER 26.5 Wins
OVER 96.5 Regular Season Points
The Los Angeles Kings made some intriguing moves to upgrade their roster. They realized they needed to return to the rough-and-tough style that won them their two Stanley Cups in the mid-2010s. They acquired Tanner Jeannot and Warren Foegele to add more size to their forward depth. The Kings also hope players like Alex Laferriere, Arthur Kaliyev, Akil Thomas, and Alex Turcotte will elevate their games.
One small concern is their defense, as they lost Matt Roy to the Washington Capitals. They're also without Pierre-Luc Dubois after they traded him to the Washington Capitals for Darcy Kuemper. People will have differing opinions on Dubois, and it's unclear whether having him out of the lineup will be a positive. Viktor Arvidsson will also be a loss, as he joined the Edmonton Oilers.
The uncertainty of the Pacific Division is also a massive reason for betting the over. I find it hard to believe the Vancouver Canucks will play at a 109-point pace again, especially with the injury to Thatcher Demko. The Vegas Golden Knights will also take a step back, and the Calgary Flames, Seattle Kraken, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks will find themselves near the bottom of the standings again. The Kings could avoid the Oilers in the playoffs this season, but only because they could be the second seed if Edmonton wins the division.
Darcy Kuemper OVER 26.5 Wins
The best roster Kuemper ever played on was the Colorado Avalanche when he won the Stanley Cup in 2021-22. The Kings aren't quite the same calibre as them, but Kuemper will have more help in front of him than he had with the Capitals the last two seasons. Kuemper recorded 37 wins in 2021-22, so he is able to perform behind a better roster.
The Kings had 44+ wins in the last three seasons. David Rittich is a valuable backup, but Kuemper should get the majority of starts. It's difficult to see Kuemper being unable to eclipse 26 victories if he remains healthy and has 50+ starts.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.