I hope you are right. I just don't believe Panarin moves the pendulum in acquiring outside talent. Last summer's upgrades by Holland were Ceci, Dumo and Armia. Most of LGK lost their minds when they heard of these signings. When the Rangers traded Panarin, their point or win total was around what the Kings was at that time. The Rangers wanted to get rid of Panarin as quick as possible, as the team was floundering. Isn't his wife an actress or something in show business. I believe that played a big role in him signing here. I never believed he was going to change this team into a second-round team.
I also saw nothing out of Kempe, Panarin in the playoffs. Yes, they scored 3 PP goals between them, less than a goal a game, however, they played a lot more five on five, than they did with a man advantage. They were badly outplayed and that goes for the entire team. The one part of Panarin's game I do like, is his ability to fling the puck toward the net from just inside the blueline. You had two big time players making big time money and they fell flat when they made it into the big dance. So that concerns me more than anything.
If the goal is to compete for the cup, the Kings are not even close. Barely making the playoffs when you add a player like Panarin, and then getting swept, I would rather have a prospect playing in the minors and having at least the potential of playing in the NHL, than to squeak in, (in the worst division in hockey) and getting swept by adding an 11-million-dollar player. And that is why I did not believe he was a good fit for the Kings.
The most glaring statistic is Darcy keeping the Kings in the playoff picture by stealing all of those regulation ties early on, before he got hit by that Rat on Dallas. He was obviously not the same when he came back and that is when those ties turned into losses in regulation. I believe he would have been the Canadian Olympic goalie if he would have not been hit, as he was having an incredible year, keeping the Kings in the playoff hunt with those ties. Luckily for the Kings, he had built up enough pity points to overcome the second half of the season. I don't see that happening next season and those regulation ties they had this season, will most likely become regulation losses and that takes them far from the playoffs.
Next season, I believe the Ducks and Sharks will be a lock for the playoffs. What other team will the Kings beat out to make it in. Vegas, Edmonton or even Seattle? And throw in the Flames as well.