http://thepuckdoctors.com/2009/09/the-la-kings-up-and-coming/ Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:20:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 http://thepuckdoctors.com/2009/09/the-la-kings-up-and-coming/comment-page-1/#comment-146 JC Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:23:27 +0000 http://thepuckdoctors.com/?p=670#comment-146 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. 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.

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