As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season passes the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Los Angeles Kings.
What are the Kings thankful for?
Jonathan Quick playing like the Jonathan Quick of old.
Ten years ago, Quick, then in his prime, was an elite goaltender in the NHL. He led the league in shutouts, had a save percentage of .929 (his career high), and of course then helped lead Los Angeles to the Stanley Cup. However, the last few years, he has battled injuries and poor performance with a save percentage that started with an eight in two of the last three seasons which is at the lower end for a backup let alone a starter. That played a role in Cal Petersen getting a three-year, $15MM extension at the start of the season, giving them some insurance for a declining Quick.
Except Quick isn’t in decline this season. In fact, he has gone back to being one of the elite goalies in the NHL with a save percentage that’s slightly better than the mark he put up a decade ago. That has been the primary reason that the Kings have allowed the seventh-fewest goals in the NHL despite Petersen struggling and Los Angeles being hit hard at times with injuries on the back end. Quick may not be in his prime anymore but he’s certainly playing like he still is.
Who are the Kings thankful for?
Through the good times of a decade ago and the not-so-good times that the last few seasons have been, Kopitar has been his usual reliable self. He produces plenty of points, takes plenty of faceoffs, and often faces top opponents while doing that (although Phillip Danault has taken some of the pressure off of him this season). The captain just does it all for Los Angeles. As the Kings look to stay in the thick of the playoff race in the Pacific Division – they’re five points out at the moment – they’ll need Kopitar to help lead what’s still a fairly young roster. There’s no reason to think he won’t be able to do just that in the second half of the season.
What would the Kings be even more thankful for?
Defensive production. The Kings have just six goals from their defensemen this season, three of which have come from Drew Doughty who has been limited to just 11 games this season due to an early injury and a stint in COVID protocol. The forward group isn’t the strongest in terms of proven NHL talent (more on that shortly) but this is a back end that has the potential to produce more than they have so far. Michael Anderson was productive in college but has just one point this season. Matt Roy was above average in terms of AHL production but he’s still chasing down his first goal of the season. Kale Clague has their third-highest point per game average among blueliners but he’s in Montreal now with Sean Durzi producing at a similar clip since being brought up. There is some room for improvement from their blueliners and that could go a long way towards helping them close the gap in the division.
What should be on the Kings’ Holiday Wish List?
Scoring upgrades. If Los Angeles is going to hang around the playoff picture, they need to score more. Only three players have scored more than six goals so far and only one (Adrian Kempe) has hit the double-digit mark. It’s hard to have much success when a team is only scoring 2.62 goals per game. A top-six winger that can give the Kings a second capable scoring line would be a big addition and could allow them to move Dustin Brown into a more optimal role. With Sean Walker on LTIR for the rest of the year, they have a bit of flexibility to try to add and as LTIR room doesn’t bank like regular cap space does, it’s a need they can try to fill before the trade deadline.
A depth defenseman could also be a worthwhile addition but with Doughty now recovered from his injury, that’s less of a need than it was a month ago. A top-four pickup would go a long way but there aren’t really (if any) available at the price point that they can afford on the cap.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.