SBNation NHL Season Preview: Your 2009-10 Los Angeles Kings
Surprise, cockfags! SBNation has been running season previews for every team in the league, and now it's Los Angeles' turn. Read this and then head over to Blueshirt Banter to hear how the Rangers aren't completely screwed paying Chris Drury, Wade Redden and Marian Gaborik $21 million dollars a season the next 3 seasons... haha just kidding, they're screwed.
2008-09 Season Review:
Drew Doughty was good, so was Wayne Simmonds, Anze Kopitar was underwhelming, Jack Johnson was hurt, Jon Quick was a surprise, Jason Labarbera sucked balls, and the Kings missed the playoffs again.
Who's In: Justin Williams (RW- trade, CAR), Ryan Smyth (LW- trade, COL), Rob Scuderi (D- UFA, PIT)
Who's Out: Patrick O'Sullivan (RW- trade, EDM), Kyle Quincey (D- trade, COL), Derek Armstrong (C- UFA, STL), Jason Labarbera (G- UFA, Phoenix), Denis Gauthier (D- UFA, shot into Sun), Kyle Calder (LW- UFA, ANA), Tom Preissing (D- COL), Brian Boyle (C- Trade, NYR)
Team Strengths: The Kings' biggest strength is their ability to keep the puck out of the net. The Kings were only 11th in goals allowed last season with 226, but they excelled at keeping the puck away from their net (tied for 4th in shots allowed). They were hurt last season by lackluster goaltending in the first half of the season but the introduction of young Jonathan Quick should help alleviate that this year.
The Kings also have a lot of forward and defensive depth; when you can afford to put someone like Alex Frolov on your stopper line and your defense is good enough that you can't find room for someone like Thomas Hickey on the backend, you can feel pretty confident that if someone gets injured then the rest of the team will pick up the slack. The Kings also have depth in goal, with 23-year old Jonathan Quick backed up by both Erik Ersberg and young prospect Jonathan Bernier. You can't expect any one of them to be a great goaltender this season but you figure you have a one in three shot, which isn't bad.
Team Weaknesses: The Kings do have a lot of depth, but what they lack is elite talent at any one position. The hope is that 22-year old Anze Kopitar will become that elite talent this season (he's definitely getting paid like one at $6.8 million dollars a year), but that's a lot of pressure to put on someone that young. Likewise, the workhorse of the defense is 19-year old Drew Doughty, who played 23+ minutes as an 18-year old last season. Both players will eventually become elite players in the NHL, but the Kings need them to be that player now and they may not be ready.
Kings' fans were hoping that the Kings would trade for that elite scorer that has been missed since Ziggy Palffy left Hollywood, but both Dany Heatley and Phil Kessel found homes elsewhere. Instead, the Kings traded for gritty left winger Ryan Smyth (who I hate, but that's another story) and oft-injured right winger Justin Williams. Both men have been perennial 30-goal scorers at one time, but age and injuries have lowered their value of late. The other major acquisition of this off-season, Rob Scuderi, is a nice defenseman (and was invaluable during the Penguins' cup run), but he's not exactly someone you build a defense around. The Kings have a lot of indians but they still need a chief.
Depth Chart:
The Kings main lines are pretty much set, with only the 4th line, 6th defenseman and back-up goaltender up for grabs. Click here for more in-depth analysis of training camp battles.
| Smyth | Kopitar | Williams |
| Frolov | Handzus | Simmonds |
| Purcell | Stoll | Brown |
| Clune | Richardson | Westgarth |
| Harrold | Lewis |
| O'Donnell | Doughty |
| Johnson | Scuderi |
| Greene | Drewiske |
| Piskula |
|
|
Quick |
| Ersberg/Bernier |
The Kings generally follow a formula where they have two shooters and one set-up man on each line. Kopitar, Frolov and young prospect Ted Purcell are the set-up men, while the others are expected to get to the front of the net for head coach Terry Murray. The bottom 5 forwards are interchangeable; no real decisions have been made at this point.
Predictions: The season pretty much rests on 2 people: Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Quick. If Anze Kopitar can continue the career path he was on before last season's hiccup and score 80+ points, and if Jonathan Quick can repeat his performance from last year, the Kings should be in the mix for the playoffs. The Western Conference is tough to pick. The Kings could finish anywhere from 6th-13th and will be fighting with Anaheim and Dallas all season for a playoff birth in the Pacific Division.
What the hell: I'll go out on a limb and say that, for the first time since 2004, the Kings finish better than the Anaheim Ducks and make the playoffs.
Go Kings.
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Comments
Right, because the 3 15th place votes are completely reasonable too…
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Sep 23, 2009 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions
I place them just not near enough the #8 so they can see in, but the window is closed to them. :)
Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality?
by ang6666 on Sep 23, 2009 10:08 AM PDT up reply actions
Fair enough, Ang. But I think the addition by subtraction of LaBarbera and the development of Purcell, Simmons, Quick and Johnson will be enough to get the Kings into the Dance of 16…
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Sep 23, 2009 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions
another great Battle of California?? :)
Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality?
by ang6666 on Sep 23, 2009 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions
you know damn well that wasn’t how I meant it … smartass … (pouts)
Ever get the feeling we are on a collision course with reality?
by ang6666 on Sep 23, 2009 10:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Don’t get me wrong, I actually think the Kings have a decent shot of making the playoffs this year – I placed them around the middle too. But it’s definitely more than a stretch to predict them winning the West outright. And remember, notwithstanding the development of young players, the Kings also placed 14th last year, so those last place votes aren’t entirely unreasonable if just based on the recent track record.
In any case, I think the 15th spot has a “Reserved” sign for the Phoenix Coyotes/Hamilton Blackberries or whatever they’re gonna be.
Oh my Goc!!!
Uh…Phoenix was 5th at the All-Star break before their epic collapse. Don’t go Senning them away yet.
by red army line on Sep 23, 2009 2:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Phoenix was 5th in the conference last season when they had Olli Jokinen, a “dedicated” head coach, 14,000 fans attending games, and Basillie-gate months away. It’s probably a safe bet that they will not be improving this season…
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Sep 23, 2009 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions
So is it so outlandish to think they could challenge for a playoff spot?
By the way, I have them at 15th. But I’m trying to play the devil’s advocate here.
by red army line on Sep 24, 2009 6:50 AM PDT up reply actions
Considering today’s announcement from Gretzky, it’s totally outlandish. They have some good young talent, but the organization is in absolute shambles…
2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!
by DodgerBlueBalls on Sep 24, 2009 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions
If you want a different perspective, you can either check out Mirtle’s thoughts at From the Rink or read this article by Puck Prospectus (ignore the VUKOTA stuff or the prediction in the headline, the rest is really good).
The West Coast is the Best Coast.
And in case anybody’s unaware, craziness today in the world of Kings coverage.
Rich Hammond has left the Daily News and will do the “same” gig on the Kings website for a Kings paycheck.
Dan Wood made a similar move earlier this summer (except to radio), so I suspect David Pollak will be a San Jose Shark employee before year-end.
http://www.battleofcali.com/
The Mirtle Twitter strikes again:
Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman Sean O’Donnell has been suspended for the remainder of the pre-season schedule and two regular season games.
Whoa — that’s longer than most Pronger suspensions.
http://www.battleofcali.com/

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