GDHQNHL15_2pg-L.A. Kings 1

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LOS ANGELES KINGS WESTERN CONFERENCE Key Additions: Adam Cracknell, David Van Der Gulik Key Subtractions: Willie Mitchell Strengths: Defense, goaltending, puck possession Weaknesses: Scoring, power play Offense One of the most perplexing things about the Kings in recent years has been their lack of success scoring despite the talent they have on their roster. Last season, the Kings finished 26th in goals scored per game with 2.4, only for their offense to explode with 3.4 goals per game in the playoffs. The Kings would certainly rather figure out how to score in the playoffs than in the regular season, but it’s still something the team should place a focus on in the upcoming season. The Kings are full of forwards who are strong on both ends of the ice. Leading the way is top-line center Anze Kopitar, a smart player who doubles as perhaps the Kings’ best defender. Kopitar is rarely out of position and almost never gets beat in his own zone, but sometimes goes through stretches of quiet play without much scoring. The same could be said of almost every forward on the Kings’ roster. Jeff Carter returns as the best pure goal scorer on the team. Carter scored 27 goals last season, and chipped in with 23 assists as well as he showcased improved passing skills. Most of the other forwards on the team simply didn’t produce up to expectations. Captain Dustin Brown scored just 27 points, Justin Williams scored 43, and Mike Richards scored 41 and was demoted all the way to the fourth line. The team got a huge boost from a midseason trade that brought Marian Gaborik onto the team. Gaborik was excellent on Los Angeles, scoring 16 points in 19 regular season games before adding 14 goals in the playoffs. This team has too much talent to end up among the bottom five teams in scoring again, but with their defensive mentality, the Kings are unlikely to score at a better than average rate in the 2014-15 season. Defense If there’s one thing the Kings have become synonymous with, it’s strong team defense. General manager Dean Lombardi has done a terrific job of building a group of players who play excellent defense. It starts with Drew Doughty, the former second overall draft pick and an excellent two-way defenseman. Doughty hasn’t scored as much as the team would like but he’s more than made up for it with improved play on the defensive end of the ice. The team also got a huge boost from the return of Willie Mitchell, who missed the entire 2012-13 season. It should not be seen as a coincidence that the Kings won the Stanley Cup in the last two seasons Mitchell played. Mitchell is now 37 years old and gone in free agency to Florida – while the Kings have plenty of strong defenders to fill that void, the impact Mitchell had on the Kings defense should not be underestimated. Just as the Kings have forwards who play well on both ends of PACIFIC DIVISION Jonathan Quick, Jake Muzzin, Marc Staal PHOTO/NHL/Getty Images


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