Thread: How much experience was gained by losing Kopitar in 2011?

Much has been said about the Kings learning from their losses against the Canucks and Sharks. Not as much though has been said about the the experience gained from Kopitar's injury. Not just by Kopitar himself. I'm talking more about the rest of the team. The cup run was really one of the only times I can remember where not one player wasn't extremely valuable to the win. How much of this was due to them understanding that they can't depend on one guy to pull the weight which they clearly would have learned by losing their top forward a year ago? I know a few people on here mentioned something similar way back when the injury first happened. It's hard to find something to talk about that doesn't involve the lockout so have at it. What do you guys think?

Carter, Richards, and Quick. Carter and Richards sparked some kind of fire. There's so much that can be said, and yet not enough, about Jonathan Quick. He was hands down the best goalie last season. Quick's athleticism, skill, and compete level were of the charts. Lundqvist wishes he could be as good as Quick. Now for the learning part, Brown. Dustin Brown took the "can't rely on just one person" lesson to heart. Dustin Brown stepped up his game big time in the playoffs.

Originally Posted by LOSTcauseZERO

Carter, Richards, and Quick. Carter and Richards sparked some kind of fire. There's so much that can be said, and yet not enough, about Jonathan Quick. He was hands down the best goalie last season. Quick's athleticism, skill, and compete level were of the charts. Lundqvist wishes he could be as good as Quick. Now for the learning part, Brown. Dustin Brown took the "can't rely on just one person" lesson to heart. Dustin Brown stepped up his game big time in the playoffs.

This is mostly true, but I don't think enough credit can go to Sutter in all of this. The cup run really made us forget what an abysmal team this was for the first 50 games or so.

Originally Posted by ILikeTheKings

This is mostly true, but I don't think enough credit can go to Sutter in all of this. The cup run really made us forget what an abysmal team this was for the first 50 games or so.

Agree about Sutter. Disagree about "abysmal."

I don't think that's an accurate description of the 1st 50 games. They were inconsistent. When they played well it was a thing of beauty. When they didn't it was very, very ugly. The thing that DS "gave" them was a pathway to a top-notch. consistent effort every single game. THAT's why they blew through 4 very good teams in the playoffs.

I'd say the one thing the Kopitar injury did was definitely force Lombardi into getting a better 2nd line center than Stoll. They had been looking for a guy for awhile, but I'd think the injury to Anze really reinforced it as a priority.

Originally Posted by Dana

I'd say the one thing the Kopitar injury did was definitely force Lombardi into getting a better 2nd line center than Stoll. They had been looking for a guy for awhile, but I'd think the injury to Anze really reinforced it as a priority.

Exactly, if you're going to win in this league you absolutely must have a deadly 1 - 2 punch down the middle. Look at your Pittsburghs, your Detroits.
Sutter was the lynchpin that put it all together.

Great topic by the way!!

Originally Posted by NastiMarvasti

Much has been said about the Kings learning from their losses against the Canucks and Sharks. Not as much though has been said about the the experience gained from Kopitar's injury. Not just by Kopitar himself. I'm talking more about the rest of the team. The cup run was really one of the only times I can remember where not one player wasn't extremely valuable to the win. How much of this was due to them understanding that they can't depend on one guy to pull the weight which they clearly would have learned by losing their top forward a year ago?

I posted about this in another thread, but I happened to run into Luc Robitaille at the MGM Grand cardio room at Frozen Fury 2011. I commented that the way the prior season had ended was a bummer but that there was nothing the team could have done since its best player got injured with only a handful of games left in the regular season. Luc's response was that the injury was no excuse -- that the team should have been, but was not, prepared to handle a significant injury. If Kopi's injury were a valid excuse, then the team was too dependent on one guy. He was optimistic that bringing in Richards and Gagne had addressed that problem. Whether the players learned anything from Kopi's injury, the organization as a whole certainly learned (or better appreciated) that it could not depend too much on one guy.

That is a really good question and I don't have an answer but all I can say.. the ones who were quiet in 2011, (in particularly Brown and Penner) played the best I have ever seen them play.

Eleventy experience points were gained for every player!