For the second time in three years, the Los Angeles Kings will hit the links in early April. This comes after a three-year stretch in which they won two Stanley Cups. So what went so wrong so quickly?
The fingers will first be pointed at a lackluster offense, which ranks fifth-worst in goals per game. While goal-scoring was certainly an issue, head coach Darryl Sutter doesn't believe it's the sole reason.
"It's our play in the Pacific Division that is holding us back," Sutter told Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period.
He certainly isn't wrong. The Kings have put together a record of just 11-13-2 against fellow Pacific Division opponents. Though Anaheim, Edmonton, San Jose, and Calgary are all playoff bound, they're a combined 4-4-1 against the bottom-feeding Canucks and Coyotes.
Failing to beat up on two potential lottery teams will destroy your playoff hopes every time. In those nine games versus Arizona and Vancouver, the Kings averaged just 2.55 goals per game, bringing us back to their inability to put the puck in the net.
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Jeff Carter has been the lone catalyst on offense, with 32 goals and 30 assists. Nobody else on the team has 50 points - even Anze Kopitar, who had 74 last season.
Tyler Toffoli had an injury-riddled campaign, Tanner Pearson has failed to make significant strides, and you can safely stick a fork in Marian Gaborik.
A last-ditch effort to trade for 39-year-old Jarome Iginla at the deadline couldn't spark the offense. Iginla has his limitations at this point of his career, so not much could have been expected, but why didn't the Kings do a better job addressing their goal-scoring issue at the deadline?
General manager Dean Lombardi didn't exactly have a lot of trade bait on his hands. According to Hockey's Future, the Kings only have two "B" rated prospects: Adrian Kempe and Michael Mersch.
In today's salary-cap era, a poor farm system is a recipe for failure.
Does this mean the Kings could slowly rebuild? Or even retool, for that matter?
Given that they're one of the slowest teams in the NHL, this might not be the worst idea. Their tough, rugged style of play was successful from 2011-2014, but more and more teams are putting a higher precedent on speed and skill. Take the Toronto Maple Leafs, for example.
Lombardi will have to take a long look in the mirror and decide if he can once again win with this roster, which is one of the oldest in the league. It will be an interesting offseason for the Kings, to say the least.
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