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Kings Article: Anze Kopitar's Strange Decline

CTKingsFan said:
Put him on waivers!
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:laugh:

Really interesting look, though. It seems like there's a steady curve there already but hopefully this current low is just a blip. He IS getting blanketed and despite their corsi shenanigans I have a hard time believing that Williams is a better linemate for Kopi than Brown due to just creating space out there. Kopi is constantly wearing another sweater and when you put him with a shoot-first winger combined with his propensities to hold the puck, let the play materialize, and pass, I'm sure that is a recipe for less shots along with the 'normal' decline of aging players.
 
I've always thought Kopi could be a 30-40 goal scorer if he decided to shoot more.

Maybe it will be something he works on this off season
 
Sometimes, I just tell myself, "Maybe he's just not that good." I know he's won 2 cups for us but his inconsistency has always kept him from being one of the game's true elites.
 
Vamos Rafa said:
Sometimes, I just tell myself, "Maybe he's just not that good." I know he's won 2 cups for us but his inconsistency has always kept him from being one of the game's true elites.
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You're going to have an impossible time finding a 'consistent' player with high production outside of Crosby.
 
Nose of Sutter said:
I've always thought Kopi could be a 30-40 goal scorer if he decided to shoot more.

Maybe it will be something he works on this off season
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So have I. But I've been waiting for it to happen for a long time now and it has not (40 goals). Plus, for a pass-first center, his assist numbers are pretty low. His assists are in the same ballpark as the so-called puck-hog Stamkos. I don't want to blame Kopi's lack of help from his linemates because he's had pretty talented linemates in his career.
 
Vamos Rafa said:
So have I. But I've been waiting for it to happen for a long time now and it has not (40 goals). Plus, for a pass-first center, his assist numbers are pretty low. His assists are in the same ballpark as the so-called puck-hog Stamkos. I don't want to blame Kopi's lack of help from his linemates because he's had pretty talented linemates in his career.
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Very true. To be honest, throughout his career, I've been hoping he'd be a 'shoot-first' center more since he's got a terrific shot. He's very rarely a classic playmaker. I mean, he holds/possesses the puck better than just about any player in the league, and obviously he's productive enough, but I'm sure everyone would like to see him do more with it. We've only seen his aggressiveness/assertiveness in spurts in the playoffs, but I'd love to see him just say "you know what, I'm going to the net now" much more often.
 
Kopitar's regular season lulls is a reason why this team struggles during the regular season. Look at the Kings' record when Kopitar scores vs. when he doesn't score.
 
Id really like kopi to be a little more aggressive with shooting the puck. I think it would make everything more difficult for the opposing team defensively.

But his stats are only a little behind Toews right now. Toews has 14 goals and 27 assists in 47 games whereas Kopitar has 11 goals and 26 assists in 44 games. Kinda surprising.
 
14-15 regular, 1.75 shots per game, 11 goals/44 games
13-14 regular, 2.44, 29/82
13-14 playoffs, 1.77, 5/26
12-13 regular, 2.09, 10/47
12-13 playoffs, 1.78, 3/18
11-12 regular, 2.80, 25/82
11-12 playoffs, 2.80, 8/20
10-11 regular, 3.11, 25/75
10-11 playoffs, DNP
09-10 regular, 3.16, 34/82
09-10 playoffs, 3.00, 2/6

Since the Kings have been making the playoffs, that's 152 goals in 482 games, or 26 over 82 games. Not exact on this one, but since the year Sutter came in, it's 91 goals in 319 games, or 23 over 82. Since the Kings won the 1st Cup, it's 58 goals in 217 games, which is 22 over 82.

Kopitar has had some trouble getting shots on net since the Kings won in 2012. Whether that's the system, and/or other teams focusing on him because he was awesome in the 2012 playoffs, or he's older, whatever, it's been a bit of a struggle. Although in the regular season last year, 29 goals was the 3rd highest in his career.
 
Kopitar's mentality on passing vs shooting hasn't changed. He simply isn't getting to the areas on the ice where in his mind a shot is a better play than a pass, especially the first couple couple of months this season.

Why isn't he getting to those areas. IMO, there are far too many times when Kopitar takes what is given, instead of imposing his will on the opposition.
 
one thing I noticed in the all star game was his positioning - even when teams were playing no defence there were times when his team had the puck behind the net and they were looking to dish to him for a shot and he stayed right infront of the keeper so the net was between him and the passer - other players were going to the side of the net and getting the pass for a clear shot on goal
we know his defence is good, but at times when we have the puck he still seems to want to be checking the defence-man rather than looking to get free and in a possition to score.
I think the all star game being played with no defence showed his weakness
 
Or he's just tired from playing about 200 playoff games in the last 3 years? Honestly with all the **** that's gone down this year it almost feels like a first round exit and a long summer is what they need to bounce back strong next year.
 
Nose of Sutter said:
Maybe it will be something he works on this off season
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Like Reclamation more or less said, he is who he is. Chances are, he's not going to get much better in this area, the question is, why is he getting so much worse?

Vamos Rafa said:
inconsistency has always kept him from being one of the game's true elites.
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Do you mean just offensively? Or overall? Because overall, I think there are literally just a handful of better hockey players in the world right now.

Bandit said:
Or he's just tired from playing about 200 playoff games in the last 3 years?
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This is possible. And as much as I love seeing Anze stand out in an international showcase, I kind of wish he could skip out on The World Cup two years from now. Okay, I really wish.
 
It's always been an issue but it seems like he's looking for the pass way more this season. My gut feeling is that he'd shoot more if he was paired with lesser players. With Gaborik and/or Carter he's always looking to pass first.
 
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