The LA Kings: Up and Coming
Too often we focus on the teams and players that are doing well. The media and fans don’t look at the stories of the teams that haven’t been too hot the past few years, especially when they’re in non-traditional hockey markets.
I recently looked at the lineup for the 2010 Los Angeles Kings and I see two things with this team. I see a team that is going to be a dark horse (TSN had them at 23rd in their power Rankings), and I see a team that is going to be very fun to watch and see improve.
What I see with the Kings is lack of a big name, while having solid players all around. My favorite player on this team is Dustin Brown. Young, not very big or a big scorer, but the guy is one of the most fun to watch in the league. He hits anything that moves. He plays the game the way it should be played. I love to see players crashing the net and fore checking. He can put up points, but he isn’t picking up any scoring awards. Anze Kopitar is an interesting player, picking up +60 points a year since he entered the league, but his +/- is atrocious. Frolov and Stoll will be returning this year as well, and Frolov is another interesting player to watch as well.
Their blue line is very young and promising while being lead by Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. This offseason they also added Rob Scuderi who had a solid year in Pittsburgh. I think this is a smart move with all of the young players they have back there.
The Kings also added a few veterans up front with Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams (yeah – he played 12 games with them last year but I will ignore that). I’m a big fan of both. Williams needs to have a solid season and prove he’s capable of playing a full season again as he’s been out for a great deal of games over the past couple of years. Ryan Smyth is slightly overpaid but has not been as bad that everyone says he has become. If he has a healthy season, it’ll be a good move for them.
The big question for the Kings is in net. I am hoping that the Kings go with Jonathan Quick for multiple reasons. He, like their blue line, is very young and he could be a solid goalie when he gets older. I’m not going to lie, I’m the worst at evaluating young goalies. To me it just seems they take forever to mature. He went to the team USA Olympic camp as well, so perhaps he has picked something up and gained some confidence to have a big year.
The bottom line is the Kings are one of the youngest teams in the league, and have a ton of talent. I think that if only a few things go right, they’ll be fighting for one of the final playoff spots – this year. But in a couple of years, they should have a solid play off spot.
Related posts:
There are some good points in this article and the Kings will no doubt challenge for a playoff spot in the next year or two. They are young, quick and exciting to watch but they can’t be mentioned in the same league as a Chicago, Pittsburgh or Washington. Young teams that are there now and will have chances to win the Stanley Cup. (not that you did) I don’t think L.A. is one of those teams that will have a chance at a cup. There are too many passengers on this team and they don’t have the young role players that the other teams have. They also don’t have a game breaker, Kopitar is a great player (a $7 million player if you ask Dean Lombardi. He is not!) but he is not responsible in his own end and not a game breaker. Drew Doughty is a horse on D, but he won’t have the support he needs, and Jack Johnson seems disinterested in being a King long term. The obvious problem in LA is goaltending, and this is what separated Pittsburgh from Washington in last years playoffs. A team can’t win the cup without solid, great goaltending. L.A. just doesn’t have it. L.A. will be a good team, but never a great team, and mediocrity never wins it all. Just ask the leafs.