The Los Angeles Kings are back for another season, desperate to make the most of their window while it's open.

After getting swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the playoffs, the Kings have decided to utilize the new cap space and wooed the 35-year-old Russian legend Ilya Kovalchuk back to North America after five years in the KHL and a Gold Medal from the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Can a team with stars such as the aforementioned Kovalchuk, Anze Kopitar, and Drew Doughty compete for the Stanley Cup?

Crazy prediction #1

Ilya Kovalchuk is proving in the preseason that 35 is the new 25, looking like the age and a few years in Russia haven't made him a worse player.

The Russian sniper could very well score up to 40 goals. In his final full season in the NHL, Kovalchuk scored 37 goals but has had five seasons with over 40 goals in his career.

His year could be very similar to that of Anders Lee in 2017/18. Kovalchuk will be playing with an elite center (Kopitar) and a physical forward (Dustin Brown), the ideal combination for a talented goal-scorer like him.

Combine this with solid powerplay minutes alongside Kopitar and Jeff Carter, Kovalchuk could absolutely tear the NHL apart as he was doing in his time with the Atlanta Thrashers.

Crazy prediction #2

Jaret Anderson-Dolan has been impressive in the past year, we might even see him with the Kings.

Anderson-Dolan will be unable to play for the Kings' AHL affiliate, Ontario Reign, so it's either the majors or another year in the juniors for the 19-year-old.

It is yet to be seen if Anderson-Dolan's energetic preseason performances have convinced GM Rob Blake to sacrifice a roster spot that could belong to a player like Jonny Brodzinski or Mike Amadio for a very young player.

Crazy prediction #3

After signing Kovalchuk in the offseason, the Kings have about $3M left in cap space, enough for a small trade deadline acquisition like Thomas Vanek, who might want to waive his no trade clause for a run in the playoffs, but they'd get into some trouble next year.

Drew Doughty gets a $4M raise with his new contract, and young forwards Alex Iaffalo and Adrian Kempe will also be expecting some nicer contracts as they are coming out of their entry-level deals.

The Kings will be forced to free up cap space or let one or two of their young players go, depending on the cap increase.

Getting rid of the contracts of Dion Phaneuf and Dustin Brown will be almost impossible, so the Kings will probably have to trade Jake Muzzin or Alec Martinez, both have $4M contracts with Muzzin's expiring a year earlier.

Unfortunately for Kings' fans, we might see Muzzin in a different jersey by 2020. Even though he might draw a great return, this would hurt.

Crazy prediction #4

If everything goes right for them, the Kings could be competing in the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2014.

Despite the recent addition of Erik Karlsson, the Pacific Division is probably the weakest one, though very competitive.

Having second-line center Jeff Carter back for a full season as well as the addition of Kovalchuk should make the Kings one of the top teams in their division, alongside the San Jose Sharks, especially if top stars like Kopitar or Doughty replicate their amazing seasons from last year.

If the Kings would be strong enough to get into the Conference Finals, they would likely face the Nashville Predators or Winnipeg Jets... a tall order for any team. However, if the goaltender Jonathan Quick becomes unbeatable in the playoffs, the Kings' dream of reaching the final once again could become a reality.

Crazy prediction #5

Once there, could the Kings go all the way? With this roster, I definitely do not see a reason why not!

There are a variety of teams the Kings could face in the finals, such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, or defending champions Washington Capitals.

However, with two top-quality scoring lines and some depth scoring from the young guys like Adrian Kempe and Alex Iaffalo, one of the strongest defensive systems in the league, and an elite goaltender, the Kings can really hang with the best of them.

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