Why did the Kings miss the playoffs in 2003?

[Jdes91]

They were competitive from 2000-2002, what caused them fall off in 03?

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[Axl Rhoadz]

Didn't we lose Allison and Deadmarsh to injuries?

 

[HeadInjury]

Didn't we lose Allison and Deadmarsh to injuries?

Yep. Allison played in 26 games, Deadmarsh in 20. Lubo also missed 25 games.

 

[BringTheReign]

Was that the year we were 1st place in the division (and possibly the conference) in January before we fell apart due to injuries down the stretch?

Good times.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Lack of depth, high school level coach and an incompetent GM.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Was that the year we were 1st place in the division (and possibly the conference) in January before we fell apart due to injuries down the stretch?

Good times.

That was 05/06.

The year of Roenick.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Injuries really took a toll on that team, and by the trade deadline they moved Bryan Smolinski and Mathieu Schneider. The Kings ended up using 40 different players that season, including Pavel Rosa!

This is the season where Derek Armstrong became the team's #1 center playing alongside Ziggy Palffy and a rookie Frolov, and Palffy did all of the heavy lifting on offense with his 85 points in 76 games.

After trading Smolinski and Schneider, the second highest scorer on the Kings was Jaroslav Modry and Derek Armstrong who tied with 38 points.

The combination of injuries to many important players (Allison, Deadmarsh, Miller, Cammalleri, Aulin), a lack of depth throughout the lineup as a result and inconsistent goaltending kept the Kings out of playoff contention for a long stretch.

 

[Bandit]

Deadmarsh was such a f***ing boss. Damn shame concussions did him in.

 

[BringTheReign]

The combination of injuries to many important players (Allison, Deadmarsh, Miller, Cammalleri, Aulin)...

I remember Aulin's name, but I honestly don't remember him as a player. Was he showing promise in the NHL before he was injured, or was it more of a "we hope he'll be good" thing?

Deadmarsh was such a f***ing boss. Damn shame concussions did him in.

Can you imagine Deader on the 2012 or 2014 teams? Richards - Deadmarsh would've been a nightmare to play against.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I remember Aulin's name, but I honestly don't remember him as a player. Was he showing promise in the NHL before he was injured, or was it more of a "we hope he'll be good" thing?



Can you imagine Deader on the 2012 or 2014 teams? Richards - Deadmarsh would've been a nightmare to play against.

We were fortunate that Dustin Brown was basically Deadmarsh incarnate in 2012

 

[BringTheReign]

We were fortunate that Dustin Brown was basically Deadmarsh incarnate in 2012

That's true; it's funny, I'm in the camp that still believes Brown should be captain and that was always mad at Sutter for how he used him, but I still underestimate Brown as an offensive threat to this day. He's at 300 goals, and his durability is pretty remarkable.

 

[Lt Dan]

We were fortunate that Dustin Brown was basically Deadmarsh incarnate in 2012

I think a lot of people forget how dominant he was in those playoffs. I know I did until I re-watched them

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I remember Aulin's name, but I honestly don't remember him as a player. Was he showing promise in the NHL before he was injured, or was it more of a "we hope he'll be good" thing?

He was looked upon as a future #2 center behind Jason Allison, was one of Colorado's top prospects and put up decent numbers in the WHL and World Juniors. Sadly, a major shoulder injury derailed his career. Here's a great read on what Aulin had to go through.
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nh...life-in-europe-after-tragedy-injury-1.5066193

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Dang, video is only missing the Coyotes handshake line

 

[BigKing]

I think a lot of people forget how dominant he was in those playoffs. I know I did until I re-watched them

God, that song is horrible. Video should also be called "First Two Rounds of 2012".

He dominated though. The physical side of things was just insane. This was the end of him drawing penalties as he was no longer under the radar after the spotlight of 2012. Pretty funny that they call things much tighter than in the late 00's yet Brown pretty much never gets the benefit of the doubt anymore when he falls down.

Highly underrated in 2012 is his demolition of Clarkson in the SCF. Clarkson was kind of their Brown but it was no contest. Brown clowned him all series.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Aaron Miller was also part of the trade that brought Deadmarsh and a guy who gave steady minutes on the backend for a couple of seasons.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Aaron Miller was also part of the trade that brought Deadmarsh and a guy who gave steady minutes on the backend for a couple of seasons.

That he was, and he also fell victim to injuries that kept him out of the lineup for long stretches. Missed 33 games in 2002-03, then missed 47 games in 2003-04, then 26 games after returning from the lockout in 2005-06. I forgot he was still with the Kings in Lombardi’s first season with the team, and he appeared in all 82 games at the age of 35.

 

[BringTheReign]

Aaron Miller was also part of the trade that brought Deadmarsh and a guy who gave steady minutes on the backend for a couple of seasons.

I have a signed puck from Aaron Miller that I got while watching him practice after the Kings main group at Healthsouth (Toyota Sports Center now). He definitely would have fit the mold of Greene or Scuderi with the early 10s group.

 

[Herby]

That was 05/06.

The year of Roenick.

That team was not as bad as their final record indicated. Had they gotten even average NHL goaltending that season they probably would have made the playoffs.

In the big picture it was better they sucked and blew it up, but bringing in expensive talent like Demitra, Roenick, Conroy etc and then going with garbage Garon and Labarbera at the most important position in the sport just showed how clueless Taylor was on roster construction. Garon was the most mentally weak goaltender I've ever seen play for the Kings, even more than Storr.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

That team was not as bad as their final record indicated. Had they gotten even average NHL goaltending that season they probably would have made the playoffs.

In the big picture it was better they sucked and blew it up, but bringing in expensive talent like Demitra, Roenick, Conroy etc and then going with garbage Garon and Labarbera at the most important position in the sport just showed how clueless Taylor was on roster construction. Garon was the most mentally weak goaltender I've ever seen play for the Kings, even more than Storr.

Garon was really just a decent backup goalie who had a stellar performance against the Kings that convinced Taylor he'd be a future #1 goalie. Funny enough, that also sounds like Stephane Fiset...

That was also the same off-season where the Kings signed Valeri Bure and also traded for Stephane Quintal, both of whom never played in any games with the team, and Trent Klatt decided to retire after the lockout ended.

Couldn't have scripted things to get any worse for Dave Taylor.

 

[BigKing]

Garon was really just a decent backup goalie who had a stellar performance against the Kings that convinced Taylor he'd be a future #1 goalie. Funny enough, that also sounds like Stephane Fiset...

That was also the same off-season where the Kings signed Valeri Bure and also traded for Stephane Quintal, both of whom never played in any games with the team, and Trent Klatt decided to retire after the lockout ended.

Couldn't have scripted things to get any worse for Dave Taylor.

Taylor basically completely failed when it came to the goalie position.

- Keeps Fiset and Storr in the expansion draft. Kings lose O'Donnell.
- Cechmanek
- Garon

The only real success for the Taylor-era Kings was the series win over Detroit and subsequent seven game series against Colorado. No coincidence that it is also the only time a Taylor team had an elite-type level of goaltending for any period of time from what was thought to be the corpse of Felix Potvin.

Funny and sad for Taylor that he finally drafted the goalie and big #1C he always needed--save for short stints out of Potvin and Allison--but never got to enjoy them. At the same time, he could have got that #1C if he didn't bungle the 2003 draft so I'm not feeling too bad for him.

 

[All The Kings Men]

The 2003-03, 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons were so riddled with injuries that people came up with not one but TWO (joke) curse theories.

The Gretzky Statue Curse and the changing of the primary jersey from the Shield (which protected players) to the Crown (which did not).

If I recall correctly the 2003-04 Kings obliterated the previous record for most games lost to injury and the 2002-03 Kings were very close to reaching it.

 

[Herby]

The 2003-03, 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons were so riddled with injuries that people came up with not one but TWO (joke) curse theories.

The Gretzky Statue Curse and the changing of the primary jersey from the Shield (which protected players) to the Crown (which did not).

If I recall correctly the 2003-04 Kings obliterated the previous record for most games lost to injury and the 2002-03 Kings were very close to reaching it.

Yeah that season was a joke. Started on opening night when the Kings choked away a late lead and lost with under a second left and then just got worse and worse.

Later in the year the puck gets shot into the Kings bench and hits a player, ofcourse it wasn't Jon Tripp, Jason Holland or Kip Brennan. It hits Ziggy Palffy right in the face. That about summed it up.

 

[KINGS17]

I think a lot of people forget how dominant he was in those playoffs. I know I did until I re-watched them

Yup, better skater, harder hitter, gave concussions to the other team.

 

[KINGS17]

That team was not as bad as their final record indicated. Had they gotten even average NHL goaltending that season they probably would have made the playoffs.

In the big picture it was better they sucked and blew it up, but bringing in expensive talent like Demitra, Roenick, Conroy etc and then going with garbage Garon and Labarbera at the most important position in the sport just showed how clueless Taylor was on roster construction. Garon was the most mentally weak goaltender I've ever seen play for the Kings, even more than Storr.

There was a reason the first thing out of Dean's mouth was we are building from the net out.