LA Kings: Three players who surprised in 2019-2020 season
By Ryan Sikes
2. Blake Lizotte
Similar to Iafallo, Blake Lizotte went undrafted and played two years at Saint Cloud State before signing his three-year entry-level deal with the LA Kings in April 2019. The 21-year-old, wide-eyes and all, was immediately plugged into the Kings remaining game of the 2018-2019 season, taking just one shot on goal.
What was supposed to be his first full year with the team, Lizotte played in 65 games, recording six goals with 17 assists for 23 points. He averaged nearly 14 minutes on-ice while demonstrating the ability to be responsible with the puck. Now 22, Lizotte also logged two powerplay goals and two short-handed goals this past season.
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He logged a 56.5 CorsiFor percentage and a 3.9 CorsiRel value, both numbers among the best on the roster. The Lindstrom, Minnesota native is likely destined to be just outside of the top six on next year’s squad, but having that kind of depth on your third line is imperative. This past year, Lizotte accounted for nearly 0.35 points-per-game, broken down into 0.09 goals and 0.26 assists per game, respectively.
He’s one of my biggest surprises, considering he saw time in just one game the previous year and spent a decent chunk on the team’s second line after Jeff Carter was lost to injury. Look for the duo to be paired on the third line with Carter moving to the wing.