It's an extremely unpopular opinion, but I think the best option for the Kings is trying to make one more run at it over the next 2-3 years.
They're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Everyone wants to blow it up and get younger, but how? They're up against the cap without much wiggle room for the foreseeable future. They're not in the same position as a team like Ottawa was. Ottawa had some attractive pieces (Duchene, Karlsson, Stone on expiring contracts at affordable prices. Hoffman a 30 goal scorer with two years of term at a reasonable price). The Kings have pieces that are more similar to Bobby Ryan and Craig Anderson - old/aging players with basically untradeable contracts. I guess they could go the buyout route, but in that case, the only asset you're gaining is some cap space.
Brown, Carter, Kovalchuk, Phaneuf - no one is taking on any of those contracts. The only one you may be able to move is Kovalchuk if you retain 25-50%. But that's a 35+ contract. You're not getting anything of substance back. You're just trying to dump the player and pick up some cap space.
Kopitar, Doughty, Quick. Still your 3 core building blocks. Still guys who rank pretty high at their respective positions. But the massive contractual obligations to Kopitar and Doughty as they enter their early 30s mean you're not getting proper value if trading them. You're probably going to have to take some "bad money" back if trading one of them anyway. And trading players of that caliber typically involves a distressed sale of some sort. You never get back the prospects you should.
Quick's contract would actually be attractive to other teams if it weren't for serious injury concerns. If healthy, he's a bargain at his current number in his early to mid 30s when you consider what some other goalies are making these days.
The most movable pieces?
Toffoli - lack of foot speed and production, only thing you're getting back is a guy of similar age and similar disappointment needing a fresh start
Martinez - good solid veteran for a contender but won't bring back anything of real substance.
Kempe - not for sale
Forbort - won't bring back anything of substance
Lewis - solid bottom 6 veteran for a contender with speed and PK ability. Worth a 3rd or a conditional 2nd at best maybe?
Most of these guys are coming off bad seasons as well. You're selling low in practically any trade you make.
I'm still convinced this team is not as "bad" as people say they are/as they've played this year. A year ago, this team finished #1 in goals against and made the playoffs. Yeah, they got swept by Vegas (who made it to the Cup final), but all those games were won on razor thin margins. It was a contrast of styles - new age/up tempo/speed vs old school/defense/heavy hockey. A couple of different bounces and maybe that series goes the other way. The conversation isn't "heavy hockey is dead, it's too slow." But instead, "old fashioned heavy/D first hockey still wins when it matters most."
The Kings have always been a team more suited for the playoffs. Their style and composition of their roster has always been more conducive to "playoff hockey" when the games tighten up, there's less space out there, and you're playing continuous OT games where D and goaltending are so imperative.
I think this team has one more run in it with the current core. Bring in a bridge coach that is good with a veteran team and plays a style conducive to winning with this group - defense first. Take a run at it over the next 2-3 years while you continue to re-stock the young talent.
The two coaches that I think would be perfect for this team: Guy Boucher or Bob Hartley. My first choice would be Boucher. Every where he goes his teams in the first year buy-in and overachieve. He is a master at getting immediate results (ECF Game 7 in first seasons in Tampa and Ottawa with teams no one thought that highly of. Similar results in Switzerland.) May not be sustainable but the Kings don't need it to be. We're only looking at a short term window anyway given the age of some of these players.
I can't think of a more perfect fit. This team has the type of players willing to play Boucher's style as well - it's ingrained in them and how they won they're cups. And Boucher would finally have a legitimate # 1 goalie to back stop his teams. Not a 42 year old Dwayne Roloson, AHL caliber Anders Lindback, or fringe NHL starter like Craig Anderson. This team would definitely buy-in and respond to Boucher. They'd have at least one good run to the WCF in them under him IMO.
Flame away.
