News Article: Hockey Writers: The Kings have the pieces to be a playoff team

[Lt Dan]

https://thehockeywriters.com/kings-have-pieces-to-be-playoff-team-2021-22-season/


I don't know if I agree, I think we will sniff. A lot has to go right.

Click to read more...

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I agree more than anything that a lot has to go right. That's the difference between us and a 'true' playoff team at this juncture--a true playoff team can survive things going WRONG and still make it. If this were truly a playoff team last year, they could have weathered a Matt Roy injury.

This year, we need the vets to still play well and the youth to step forward more than anything. I'm confident in our defense/GA, I'm less confident in our offense and coaching. Ultimately, this team will need big years from Kopitar, Doughty, Petersen, and AT LEAST need another forward (Vilardi) to break 60 points and an additional PP QB to emerge.

 

[Schrute farms]

With the current state of the world being a whole lot of sh!t right now, I prefer to keep my rose color glasses on -- and see only two scenario's resulting from this 2021-2022 NHL season:
A) LAKs make the playoffs; or
B) LAKs win the #1OA draft lotto and select Shane Wright.

I'm a happy camper either way

 

[Kurrilino]

This is a level of delusion of epic proportions.

Our core players are not able to take over games at all regardlessof who you use as support.
Our 1st line Left winger didn't crack the 20 goal mark a single time since he came to the team.
Brown didn't reach the 30 goal mark since 2008 and we don't have a 2nd line RW or LW.

Our coach has no idea what winning remotely looks like, not to mention how to adapt to modern high speed hockey
and force victories on our opponents.

What on earth makes them believe that we reach the playoff ????

Alone this quote "Kings’ Young Forwards Need To Provide More Offense at Even Strength"
makes me giggle the whole day.
Someone should advise the Coach to tell the youngsters to score more. I'm sure he forgot to mention that. Part of it would be a playing a style that includes the opponents goal as well as ours.
Right now everything beyond the red line is disregarded as important.

And while we are at it, we could tell the defense to get less goals against.
Telling Peterson to be more constant would help as well.

 

[DoktorJeep]

This is a level of delusion of epic proportions.

Our core players are not able to take over games at all regardlessof who you use as support.
Our 1st line Left winger didn't crack the 20 goal mark a single time since he came to the team.
Brown didn't reach the 30 goal mark since 2008 and we don't have a 2nd line RW or LW.

Our coach has no idea what winning remotely looks like, not to mention how to adapt to modern high speed hockey
and force victories on our opponents.

What on earth makes them believe that we reach the playoff ????

The guaranteed thing in our favor is a supposedly weak division. At this point, the sum total of management’s strategy is biggest turds float to the top.

 

[Kurrilino]

The guaranteed thing in our favor is a supposedly weak division. At this point, the sum total of management’s strategy is biggest turds float to the top.

omg... what a strategy.

Which teams would they have in mind?
I can only think of Ducks and the Sharks and even here we need a real battle to come out victorious.
Coyotes are moved to central.
That leaves us with must wins against Calgary and Vancouver i assume.

 

[Reclamation Project]

A successful season will be the kids taking a step and the Kings within 6 points of a playoff spot the final 2 weeks.

 

[BigBrown]

This is a level of delusion of epic proportions.

Our core players are not able to take over games at all regardlessof who you use as support.
Our 1st line Left winger didn't crack the 20 goal mark a single time since he came to the team.
Brown didn't reach the 30 goal mark since 2008 and we don't have a 2nd line RW or LW.

Our coach has no idea what winning remotely looks like, not to mention how to adapt to modern high speed hockey
and force victories on our opponents.

What on earth makes them believe that we reach the playoff ????

Alone this quote "Kings’ Young Forwards Need To Provide More Offense at Even Strength"
makes me giggle the whole day.
Someone should advise the Coach to tell the youngsters to score more. I'm sure he forgot to mention that. Part of it would be a playing a style that includes the opponents goal as well as ours.
Right now everything beyond the red line is disregarded as important.

And while we are at it, we could tell the defense to get less goals against.
Telling Peterson to be more constant would help as well.

How many wingers did the Kings have that scored 20 goals in 2014 when they won the cup? Zero.
How many 30 goal scorers did they have? Zero.
How many skaters scored over 50 points? One.

Not everything is measured in goals and points by individual players. I think the Kings will be considerably better next year and while I agree that making the playoffs is doubtful I certainly wouldn't put it in the "delusional" category.

 

[Token]

I think we will sniff

I like where you’re going with this …

… I’ve sniffed before and walked away … no regrets …

 

[jfc64]

C'mon. It's Rangers - Kings in the Stanley Cup final. Adding Danault, Arvidsson (replacing Carter), Edler and one of Turk or Byfield should do the trick. We are talking SPEED here (Arvy), ROCKSOLIDNESS (Edler. MacKinnon says "ouch") and SUPERSTARDOME (Byfield).

Just add Johnny "Hockey" at the deadline.

 

[Statto]

This is a level of delusion of epic proportions.

Our core players are not able to take over games at all regardlessof who you use as support.
Our 1st line Left winger didn't crack the 20 goal mark a single time since he came to the team.
Brown didn't reach the 30 goal mark since 2008 and we don't have a 2nd line RW or LW.

Our coach has no idea what winning remotely looks like, not to mention how to adapt to modern high speed hockey
and force victories on our opponents.

What on earth makes them believe that we reach the playoff ????

Alone this quote "Kings’ Young Forwards Need To Provide More Offense at Even Strength"
makes me giggle the whole day.
Someone should advise the Coach to tell the youngsters to score more. I'm sure he forgot to mention that. Part of it would be a playing a style that includes the opponents goal as well as ours.
Right now everything beyond the red line is disregarded as important.

And while we are at it, we could tell the defense to get less goals against.
Telling Peterson to be more constant would help as well.

Iaffalo 19/20 season pro-rates to 20 goals and last year his numbers were 19 over 82 games. He’s in the bracket and if he slides into 2LW or 3LW because someone steps up (Kempe isn’t a stretch, maybe Arvidsson plays there) then we are suddenly in good shape on that side. There is also every reason think Arvidsson can get back to 25-30 goals so it’s not as bad as you want to present it. We are also stacked with young talent and whilst there will be bumps along the way the overall performance of those players will trend upwards.

Are we locks to make the play-offs? No. Are we in with a shout, is the team better than last year? Absolutely. Worth noting that the coach has commented during the off season (I forget where) that as the personnel allows the system may well evolve/change (I’m paraphrasing).

Your post has a fairly significant tone of confirmation bias about it.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

I agree with the premise of the article, but not impressed with the body of it.