The changing of the guard in Los Angeles is going to be a rough transition, to say the least.

While the Kings still have a few premier offensive pieces in Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter, they're also shelling out over $18 million this season for four forwards over the age of 30 - with only Carter living up to his hefty salary.

The club has established an identity as a hard-nosed, veteran squad, well aware of what it takes to cut it in the big leagues. But what does that mean for the few young prospects on the roster?

For winger Tanner Pearson, it means a much-improved payday is coming up quick.

Putting points on the board

The 24-year-old has taken a significant step forward this season, already boasting a career-best 22 goals and 40 points with 17 games remaining on the Kings' schedule.

He posted just 15 goals and 36 points last season, but has raised his points per game pace for the fourth consecutive season in 2016-17, currently sitting at a clip of 0.63.

Pearson has been especially clutch as of late, posting the ninth-most goals in the league (11) since the calendar turned to 2017. His four game-winners over that span are tied for third-most in the league.

His totals aren't exactly jaw-dropping, but their importance to Los Angeles' success is much more clear when viewed in the context of his team's overall production.

Kings of complacency

Heading into the home stretch of the season, Pearson is the only King aside from leading scorer - and linemate - Carter to top 20 goals.

Kopitar, who's made his name as one of the most talented pivots in the sport, has only eight goals up to this point, despite posting 25 just last season and reaching the 20-goal plateau on seven other occasions throughout his career.

Veteran sniper Marian Gaborik, who potted 27 goals for L.A. two seasons ago, has been limited by injury once again, hindering his effectiveness. The 35-year-old has yet to suit up for a full campaign since joining the Kings, and has just seven goals through 42 games this season.

Meanwhile, Pearson's fellow young gun, Tyler Toffoli, has missed 19 games as well, his tumultuous season causing a regression in terms of his goals per game and point per game paces. He's managed just 12 tallies on the year so far.

Ready for a raise

As the Kings scratch and claw for one of the final Western Conference playoff berths, Pearson and Carter have seemingly been the only success stories, each posting resurgent offensive campaigns to help their club make the climb.

In the case of the younger King, it couldn't have come at a better time.

Pearson's modest two-year, $2.8-million deal expires this summer, at which time he'll become a restricted free agent. There's no question this season's circumstances are going to bump up the young forward's value.

Imagine if he had hit free-agency just one year earlier?

At the tail end of 2016, six players sat above Pearson on the team's scoring chart.

Toffoli emerged as the better of the two prospects, finishing with 31 goals on the season, while Kopitar, Carter, and Milan Lucic each topped the 20-goal plateau. Even defenders Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin outscored Pearson that season.

But what a difference a year makes.

Pearson seems set to finish as the Kings' second-best goal-scorer this time around, already sitting with 10 more goals than the team's next-highest scorer.

He won't be raking in an absurd amount of cash this summer, but with the rest of the team's forward corps faltering - and aging - and Pearson hitting a new level, he's undoubtedly made good on his bridge deal and earned a significant raise.

Los Angeles has $13.6 million in projected cap space next season, according to CapFriendly, with most of its core names already locked up long term.

That means there should be plenty of room to bump up Pearon's annual salary. And after two years of earning half as much as fellow youngster Toffoli, Pearson's performance has him set to see a much smaller discrepancy when the two sign their next deals this summer.

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