Hope offseason additions can boost special teams, lead to deep playoff run
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NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the Los Angeles Kings.
After the Los Angeles Kings lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference First Round for the fourth consecutive season, it was clear they needed something more to get over that hump.
The Kings addressed their shortcomings in free agency and now have what they believe to be a stronger group.
“I think they’re a team that can compete for the (Stanley) Cup,” general manager Ken Holland told NHL Network on July 14. Holland was named Los Angeles’ general manager on May 14, replacing Rob Blake, who left the Kings on May 5.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get by Edmonton the last couple of years. I thought three of the four series L.A. had a chance to win and Edmonton found a way to win. That’s pro sports. We have a good mix of veteran players and youth.”
Holland said Los Angeles needed to address its depth. As the Kings progressed in their playoff series against the Oilers, they were rolling three lines instead of four. So they signed forward Corey Perry to a one-year, $2 million contract on July 1. They also signed forward Joel Armia to a two-year, $5 million contract ($2.5 million AAV) and defensemen Cody Ceci to a four-year, $18 million contract ($4.5 million AAV) and Brian Dumoulin to a three-year, $12 million contract ($4 million AAV).
Between those signings and the growth of forwards including Samuel Helenius, Jeff Malott and Alex Turcotte, Los Angeles feels it will have more substantial depth.
The additions could also help the Kings’ special teams, especially the power play, which ranked 27th in the NHL last season (17.9 percent). They want to remain strong on their penalty kill, which was eighth in the League last season (81.4 percent).
Perry should boost the power play. The 40-year-old, who has gone to the Stanley Cup Final five of the past six seasons, including the past two with Edmonton, has 288 power-play points, including 124 power-play goals, in 1,392 career regular-season games. He had five power-play goals for the Oilers in 22 playoff games last season.
“We played the Kings in the first round the past two years when I was in Edmonton,” Perry told NHL.com on July 23. “And while we won both of those series, L.A. was a great hockey team. Those series could have gone either way. We found a way to beat them in the end, but you could see what they have. And the moves Kenny has subsequently made and the players he’s brought in has helped the team — good acquisitions, good depth.”
Armia, Ceci and Dumoulin will add to their penalty kill.
FLA@EDM, SCF Gm5: Perry scores from deep to make it 4-2 in 3rd
“The power play had a tough time last year until ‘Kuz’ (forward Andrei Kuzmenko) joined the team at the deadline,” Holland told NHL Network in July. “He shot right, Corey Perry shoots right.
“We need the power play to be better and the PK to be as good as it was last year. Armia kills penalties up front. We signed Ceci and ‘Duo’ because they can kill penalties. And with re-signing of Kuz and Corey Perry, they’re two players we feel will help our power play and our depth up front.”
Another huge help will be a healthy Drew Doughty. The defenseman sustained a fractured ankle in a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sept. 25 and didn’t play a regular-season game until Jan. 29. Doughty plays on special teams, and still logs massive minutes at age 35; he averaged 24:08 of ice time per game last season and 26:10 per game for his career.
Kings coach Jim Hiller said he expects Doughty to be 100 percent entering this season.
“He was never close to 100 percent,” Hiller said of Doughty’s status last season. “I can’t give you a number, but he was nowhere near 100 percent. Despite that he played through.
“He’s really had a great summer, really had a good chance to get 100 percent healthy again. That’ll be a big boost for us on the back end. We appreciate warrior-type effort. He finds a way. His hockey sense is off the charts, so he finds a way to get it done. There were frustrations because he couldn’t do what he could normally do but the good summer for him will be a big boost for us.”
Los Angeles feels it is deeper to start this season. Will that be enough to get them past the first round and go deep into the playoffs? Time will tell.
“It’s different every year,” Hiller said. “I thought last year as the season went on, we did a really good job of growing together. The chemistry’s different every year but I thought that was an important part of our success. We’ll see. We have to develop that again this year, but we think we’re set up with the players we’ve added to go on a good run.”
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