The Kings have shown resilience this season, but only managed to maintain their position in the standings from recent campaigns.
Will they make a leap toward legitimate contention or will they simply prove the adage that “if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse?”
Answering these four questions might go a long way toward determining their fate.
When the Kings’ top defenseman went down early in the preseason, the big question was how the team would stay afloat without him. Today, it’s how he will fit into an increasingly complicated puzzle on defense.
In his absence, the Kings carried eight defensemen, often dressed seven, moved Vladislav Gavrikov to his off side and still managed to be one of the NHL’s stingiest squads. But in just half a dozen games since Doughty’s been back (3-2-1), they’ve scratched top prospect Brandt Clarke twice and only reinserted him after an injury to Mikey Anderson left them down a defender.
This query is almost four questions in and of itself. On which side and on which pairing will Gavrikov play once Anderson is healthy? What will happen to the games and minutes of Clarke? Who will man the top of the two power-play units? Could the Kings trade a defenseman to secure some much-needed potency up front?
In some ways, it’s a good problem to have, but the Kings have had difficulty assembling a cohesive group of six defensemen for the playoffs on the roster-construction side and squandered a massive surplus of right defensemen on the asset-management end.
The Kings’ commitment to a defense-first-last-and-in-between system has made them reliant on timely scoring and magnified the importance of their power play, which has struggled.
Despite now having not one but two specialists on the coaching staff with coach Jim Hiller and assistant Newell Brown, the Kings’ power-play efficiency and overall scoring have declined across the past two campaigns.
They converted at a 25.3% clip in Hiller’s first season on the staff but dropped to 22.6% last year and 14.6% thus far in 2024-25, while their penalties-drawn figures have fallen by a full infraction per 60 minutes during that same span. Since Dec. 8, they’ve cashed in on only 10.9% of their opportunities, the third-worst rate in the NHL.
Although the Kings are tied with the New York Islanders for a respectable 14th-place ranking in five-on-five tallies, they’re tied with those same Isles for 26th among 32 clubs in overall scoring thanks to both teams’ ineptitude with the extra attacker.
The Kings abruptly entered a teardown process during Blake’s second season as general manager but have been in acquisition mode for much of the past four seasons. In 2021-22, they did most of their shopping during the summer. In 2022-23, they snagged Gavrikov and stand-in goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from their biggest deadline deal in recent memory. Last year, they were forced to stand pat, even after a coaching change, by the flooded gas-tank of a cap and roster situation they were in after acquiring P.L. Dubois, a trade whose negative impact persists today.
That included the loss of right-handed-shooting Gabriel Vilardi, who has more power-play goals than all but three players in the league this season. The most obvious target would be a right-shooting forward to improve even-strength scoring depth and juice up one of the man-advantage units.
Despite their lack of upward mobility in the standings – they’re on course to finish third in the Pacific Division for a fourth consecutive campaign – the Kings have spent most of the way up to the cap. They would likely need both 50% retention by the incoming player’s current team and an additional 25% of his salary to be taken on by a third franchise at the cost of futures or prospects in order to land a player of note.
With a bit of creativity and cunning, the Kings could get their man.
Whether or not Blake and company cook at the trade deadline, there’s more than one piece missing and there’s some serious question about the team’s top-end potential, only a year and change after it was purportedly shaping up to be a short-list contender.
Brock Faber, Sean Walker, Sean Durzi, Matt Roy and Vilardi could all be counted among the players that the Kings lost for considerably less than their market value. Meanwhile, their top center, top defenseman and top goalie have a combined age of 106.
Alex Turcotte had his expectations recalibrated heavily by injuries, a microcosm of the Kings’ 2019 draft, which went from heralded to hellish. Quinton Byfield has yet to firmly entrench his stardom. Clarke hasn’t been given a genuine opportunity to showcase his gifts. Kevin Fiala is on pace for his least productive full campaign since 2018-19. Roy and Dubois, after being jettisoned in a stunning reversal of course, are with the Washington Capitals, who have the NHL’s best points percentage and are its most improved team.
Talks of steps backwards and sideways abounded in the offseason, but the group has been determined to forge onward. This season and next will reveal if these Kings have enough talent and enough time to get two-time Stanley Cup champions Doughty and Anže Kopitar back to the mountaintop.
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Will they make a leap toward legitimate contention or will they simply prove the adage that “if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse?”
Answering these four questions might go a long way toward determining their fate.
How will Drew Doughty be reintegrated?
When the Kings’ top defenseman went down early in the preseason, the big question was how the team would stay afloat without him. Today, it’s how he will fit into an increasingly complicated puzzle on defense.
In his absence, the Kings carried eight defensemen, often dressed seven, moved Vladislav Gavrikov to his off side and still managed to be one of the NHL’s stingiest squads. But in just half a dozen games since Doughty’s been back (3-2-1), they’ve scratched top prospect Brandt Clarke twice and only reinserted him after an injury to Mikey Anderson left them down a defender.
This query is almost four questions in and of itself. On which side and on which pairing will Gavrikov play once Anderson is healthy? What will happen to the games and minutes of Clarke? Who will man the top of the two power-play units? Could the Kings trade a defenseman to secure some much-needed potency up front?
In some ways, it’s a good problem to have, but the Kings have had difficulty assembling a cohesive group of six defensemen for the playoffs on the roster-construction side and squandered a massive surplus of right defensemen on the asset-management end.
Can the power play make an impact?
The Kings’ commitment to a defense-first-last-and-in-between system has made them reliant on timely scoring and magnified the importance of their power play, which has struggled.
Despite now having not one but two specialists on the coaching staff with coach Jim Hiller and assistant Newell Brown, the Kings’ power-play efficiency and overall scoring have declined across the past two campaigns.
They converted at a 25.3% clip in Hiller’s first season on the staff but dropped to 22.6% last year and 14.6% thus far in 2024-25, while their penalties-drawn figures have fallen by a full infraction per 60 minutes during that same span. Since Dec. 8, they’ve cashed in on only 10.9% of their opportunities, the third-worst rate in the NHL.
Although the Kings are tied with the New York Islanders for a respectable 14th-place ranking in five-on-five tallies, they’re tied with those same Isles for 26th among 32 clubs in overall scoring thanks to both teams’ ineptitude with the extra attacker.
Will Rob Blake swing a trade?
The Kings abruptly entered a teardown process during Blake’s second season as general manager but have been in acquisition mode for much of the past four seasons. In 2021-22, they did most of their shopping during the summer. In 2022-23, they snagged Gavrikov and stand-in goaltender Joonas Korpisalo from their biggest deadline deal in recent memory. Last year, they were forced to stand pat, even after a coaching change, by the flooded gas-tank of a cap and roster situation they were in after acquiring P.L. Dubois, a trade whose negative impact persists today.
That included the loss of right-handed-shooting Gabriel Vilardi, who has more power-play goals than all but three players in the league this season. The most obvious target would be a right-shooting forward to improve even-strength scoring depth and juice up one of the man-advantage units.
Despite their lack of upward mobility in the standings – they’re on course to finish third in the Pacific Division for a fourth consecutive campaign – the Kings have spent most of the way up to the cap. They would likely need both 50% retention by the incoming player’s current team and an additional 25% of his salary to be taken on by a third franchise at the cost of futures or prospects in order to land a player of note.
With a bit of creativity and cunning, the Kings could get their man.
What is this team’s ceiling?
Whether or not Blake and company cook at the trade deadline, there’s more than one piece missing and there’s some serious question about the team’s top-end potential, only a year and change after it was purportedly shaping up to be a short-list contender.
Brock Faber, Sean Walker, Sean Durzi, Matt Roy and Vilardi could all be counted among the players that the Kings lost for considerably less than their market value. Meanwhile, their top center, top defenseman and top goalie have a combined age of 106.
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Alex Turcotte had his expectations recalibrated heavily by injuries, a microcosm of the Kings’ 2019 draft, which went from heralded to hellish. Quinton Byfield has yet to firmly entrench his stardom. Clarke hasn’t been given a genuine opportunity to showcase his gifts. Kevin Fiala is on pace for his least productive full campaign since 2018-19. Roy and Dubois, after being jettisoned in a stunning reversal of course, are with the Washington Capitals, who have the NHL’s best points percentage and are its most improved team.
Talks of steps backwards and sideways abounded in the offseason, but the group has been determined to forge onward. This season and next will reveal if these Kings have enough talent and enough time to get two-time Stanley Cup champions Doughty and Anže Kopitar back to the mountaintop.
Continue reading...
