I echo VCRW's sentiment that the plan for this year was to make the playoffs with the rest of the league knowing the Kings would be a threat. Winning a round was clearly on the management's goal list, I'm not sure I was with them on it but with the divisional structure it's a fair ask. You take what the kings have done to this point and really the only difference between this year and last is that there are expectations and therefore it feels like they aren't doing as well when by all the standings numbers they are on a 97 point pace vs the 99 points they got last year.
Yes I understand that last year there were so many man games lost to injury. Particularly when it looked like the best Doughty we'd seen in years and this years VA is clouding what we remember of last years VA. Remember last years 3-6 was supposed to be Toby/Roy and Edler/Walker. Roy while an analytics darling clearly showed he couldn't fill the Doughty roll on the right side leading to much of the auditioning of Durzi and Spence. The end takeaway of all of that is still that this backend is a weird confluence of improvement from within while at the same time appearing from the outside to be the easiest part of the lineup to shore up via trade. The longer time goes by without that trade happening, the only thing we can conclude is that management doesn't believe that trade to be the answer, or that the deal is unworkable. Durzi has played well enough this year that trading him as is plus multiple assets could be fairly questioned. Don't forget that when DL ended the 11 season, we all remember the trades in 12, but that summer he said the biggest goal was the improvement from within. Blake's facing a similar balancing act at the moment.
The goaltending.....I still am of the opinion that the defense in zone (all 5, not just the d pairs) has a lot to do with the looks that have made 3 NHL caliber goaltenders look pedestrian. That said, the goalies have looked pedestrian as well. Copley's run coinciding with overall good team play isn't an accident. Just like its easier to fire a coach than 23 players, sometimes you get them to refocus around the only other position on the ice that they can. Getting that all to mesh down this stretch run is why the Toddster gets paid the big bucks.
Which leads to the question of the coaching, their decisions to play who they're playing and balancing this years goals in that picture. There have been some maddening deployments (anyone else still having flashbacks to OT starting lineups) but they have been part of a consistent plan to force the youngsters to earn time even if we are all impatient about it. I'll give these guys credit that they think they're going about this "the right way". And anyone that's ever done something "the right way" knows it's never the fastest way, it never has the immediate gratification, but generally once its near completion it's been worth the effort. The books still out on if Todd's got this thing under wraps but based on where they are on the standings this isn't a tire fire.
So lost season? Only from a momentary pie in the sky thought that the Pacific division was vulnerable and Colorado looks like they might pull a Knights from last year. Seattle might not be as good as their record this year, Edmonton and Calgary might not be the contenders they looked like last year. Those are all suppositions and maybes though and reframing this years Kings results based on that lens is a fools errand. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you watch a team, in a season like this one, and your only measure of success is Cup or Bedard......well you're missing out on a lot of ways to be entertained besides disappointment.
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