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Re-evaluating The Los Angeles Kings

By Bryan Nelson

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The Los Angeles Kings have been through two straight games now. And it’s time to review their performance. Are they playoffs worthy? Or will they be stuck with a long offseason, giving them time to think over how they played this season.

Let’s start with the Devils game. Even though the Devils are struggling like they typically do, the win against them on Monday was every bit as important as a playoff game. With Martinez back in the lineup with Mike Richards being recalled from Manchester, the Kings seem to be gearing up for their yearly playoff push. But the question is whether or not this time it will actually work.

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The Kings beat the Devils easily with a score of 3-1, and came out with a win yesterday against the Rangers 4-2. Are these the Kings that we’ve been waiting to see all season?

Yes.

When your team can come out on top against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, you know that you’re doing something right. And the Kings are ready to show people that they’re ready to make their push to the playoffs.

Playoff Worthy?

Yes, I would say that the Kings are showing that they are playoff worthy. They’ve come out big when they really need to, the only issue is they didn’t come out big often enough. The Kings are a strong team, and one that has one two Stanley Cups coming from the position that they are in now, so why doubt them?

Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings /

Los Angeles Kings

They’ve proven that they can bring their team together, even with some changes to the lines. The loss of Slava Voynov early in the season had already given fans the sense that this was going to be a tough season. Facing some injuries on Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson, their offense suffered. The Kings had to go out and pick up a free agent Jamie McBain, and make a trade for Hurricanes D-man Andrej Sekera. These moves proved to be more beneficial than initially thought, and it has paid off dividends.

The Kings have also been facing a lack of production from Captain Dustin Brown, and Mike Richards was struggling this season and it was the reason there was major coverage of his drop to the Kings’ AHL affiliate the Manchester Monarchs.

But Toffoli came back, Dustin Brown is picking up his game, Jonathan Quick is fighting back, and Mike Richards has been called up to do his usual playoff thing. Who doesn’t love regular season procrastination?

Do They Deserve It?

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I just blew your mind didn’t I? Yeah, you bet I did. Whether or not the Kings deserve a playoff spot will be one that is debated for years to come, I’m sure of it. Any team that makes the playoffs in the Kings’ position is nothing short of a miracle, but it also begs the question of whether or not they truly deserve to be in a playoff spot.

I know these are typically the stories of hockey legend. A team comes from the bottom only to scrape by into a playoff spot and then they go on to win the whole thing against a club that was leading the league all season. I get it, we all love those games. But the Los Angeles Kings shouldn’t be that team, especially after two Stanley Cup victories. And that’s where it gets dicey.

Dec 29, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown (23) reaches for the puck against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

How do you go from being the best team in the league to having to fight and kick your way to a playoff spot? The Kings won it all in 2012, lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Blackhawks in 2013, and went on to win it all again in 2014. They’ve been at the top of their game for years, yet, every year in the regular season, it’s a struggle.

I know Kings fans have begun to accept that this is a typical LA Kings season, but why should we accept it? Soon, their luck is going to run out. And it looks like this could possibly be that year. The year where the reigning Stanley Cup Champion doesn’t even make the playoffs. If not this year, then next year. And maybe then, we can reevaluate how our regular season looks.

This shouldn’t be a normal occurrence, and don’t you think that they may not even deserve a playoff spot? As a Kings fan, of course I believe they deserve, they deserve it all the time. But as a fan, it’s also my responsibility to realize when things aren’t right.

Mar 23, 2015; Newark, NJ, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) and Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) celebrate their 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

People are looking at the Kings right now, and they see a team that won it all only to fall back into the same boat of mediocrity that was the team for nearly two decades. I’m not ready for that, I don’t want that. I’ve been a Kings fan all my life and I have never been more proud of what the team has achieved. But let’s be honest, how can we be proud of this?

I played Tennis for a while, I was the 24th seed at best on my team. Never was the occasional win good enough, and when I played well, I played phenomenally. But coming off that great game, I would fall back into that same state of mediocre tennis. I didn’t call it a slump, I didn’t blame it on my racket or my opponent being better than myself. I blamed it on me.

And the Kings need to take the blame for their failures this season. If they want to prove that they truly deserve to fight for Lord Stanley’s Cup, then play the way that they did these past two games. Don’t think that luck is going to win it all for you. Because it won’t.

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