What Happened To The Kings Stanley Cup Run Last Season?

No Comments October 11, 2016 Kings By John Stellman

What ever happened to Lord Stanley’s Cup that the Los Angeles Kings were suppose to hoist last season?

After all, there were celebrations in 2011-2012 and 2013-2014, but no King sightings since.

Twice Denied

Chicago wrestled the Cup away two seasons ago and the Penguins prevailed last year.

So are the Kings going to reassert themselves this season?

Different Direction

If they are, it might mean a change in strategy.

It was their trademark puck possession game that got them their first two National Hockey League championships.

But in the always evolving game of hockey, speed has become the blue print for success.

And if the Kings want to contend, they’ll need to turn the page and move forward.

Gone are the grinders. So is cycling the puck down low in the attacking zone.

New Age

The philosophy has changed.

No longer are big, strong bruisers in play. Physical presence doesn’t necessarily guarantee results.

The transformation was displayed in last season’s Stanley Cup Final.

With Sidney Crosby leading the charge, the Penguins utilized superior quickness and incredible creativity to race past San Jose in six games.

Out Of Breathe

Pittsburgh’s energy from one end of the rink to the other left the Sharks gasping for air.

Crosby & Company were on every puck. The Sharks offense was disrupted. Routine passes have become anything but routine. Even navigating the puck into the net has become increasingly difficult.

It’s the new wave and the Kings will have to adept quickly.

Not On Board

Yet General Manager Dean Lombardi is skeptical.

New Age or not, Lombardi likes his roster.

“We won two Stanley Cups. We had talent. But the reason why we won, we were a frickin’ team,” the GM told The Southern California News Group.

Ironically it was Lombardi who was the architect of Team North America which was embarrassingly bounced out of the World Cup Of Hockey.

And maybe not so surprising, coach John Tottorella’s squad lost Round Robin games to Canada, Europe and the Czeck Republic resulting in an early exit.

Every other team was faster and more imaginative than Team North America.

Handful Of Goals

The Americans scored just five goals.

“No doubt in my mind the formula works,” Lombardi still insisted.

Doubters need only to look at last year’s playoffs.

Didn’t Succeed

The old school Kings failed their post season test miserably.

They were too slow for a San Jose team that eliminated them in the 1st round, 4-1.

Unlike Calgary (Johnny Gaudreau), Edmonton (Connor McDavid) and Toronto (Auston Matthews) whose prospects shine brightly, the Kings continue to stockpile bruisers like Adrian Kempe.

As good a prospect as Kempe might be, the Kings need to load up the Ontario Reign, their American Hockey League farm club, with quickness and finesse.

Otherwise, where do the Kings go to bolster a suspect offense?

Underwhelming

The Kings scored 223 goals last season, 14th in the league.

As he usually does, Anze Kopitar lead the team in scoring (74 points) for the ninth year in a row.

Tyler Toffoli was the top goal scorer with 31.

Kopitar chipped in with 25.

Jeff Carter added 24.

More Firepower

But the drop off from there was significant.

Tanner Pearson (15), Drew Doughty (14), Marian Gaborik (12), Dustin Brown (11) and Alec Martinez (10) were the only other Kings who scored double digit goals.

Milan Lucic did score 20 goals last year but this season he’ll be wearing Edmonton Oiler gear,

And this is one of the Kings biggest concerns as the season approaches.

Quality Depth?

Is Los Angeles going to have quality third and fourth line forwards who will be able to contribute significantly?

There are also vacancies on defense.

Depth is a major concern.

Norris Trophy Winner

Make no mistake, Doughty and Jake Muzzin are proven, hard nosed competitors.

Doughty is the reigning Norris Trophy winner, having been acknowledged as the league’s top defenseman last season.

And Muzzin is on his way to super star status.

Who Else?

But who will be the Kings No. 2 and No. 3 pairs?

Matt Greene, who was injured parts of last season, is in the mix. So is Rob Scuderi, who was acquired to provide veteran leadership

Greene, Scuderi and Martinez are all second, third and fourth line candidates.

But who occupies lines five and six?

Veteran Presence

Veteran acquisitions Tom Gilbert (Montreal) and Zack Trotman (Boston) will certainly get a long look.

And so will a handful of minor league prospects.

Questions also surround goalie Jonathan Quick’s backup.

The 30-year old net minder put together a solid 2015-2016 campaign.

His 68 games in the net resulted in a 40-23 record which he complemented with a a 2.22 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.

Musical Chairs

Quick will be backed up by his third goalie in three seasons.

Martin Jones was behind Quick in 2014-2015, Jhonas Enroth was in reserve last year and Jeff Zatkoff will get the call this season.

The Kings signed the Pittsburgh free agent to a two-year,$1.8M contract in the off season.

The 29-year old goalie was used little by the Penguins last year.

In 14 games, Zatkoff was 4-7, with a 2.79 goals against average and a save percentage of .917.

Are They Prepared?

Not exactly a comforting scenario.

So it is for the Kings as they prepare for the upcoming season,

Plenty of questions.

Not a lot of answers.

Good Or Bad?

A season that could be extremely difficult, or euphorically rewarding.

Meanwhile, Lord Stanley awaits, patiently!

image: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

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John Stellman

I was born with sports in my blood. I began coaching little league baseball at 15. I was the sports editor of my high school newspaper. I did football play by play for the college radio station. I broadcast high school basketball for a local commercial station. But baseball was always my passion. During the 1970's I covered the Angels for the Orange County Register. And now I am back where I belong...