Whether it is planned or not (and we all hope that it is not for our sanity), the Los Angeles Kings are in the midst of what seems like an annual mid-season slump. But fear not L.A. hockey fans, we have all been through this before. Remember, the Kings are built for the playoffs!
The Predident’s Trophy is for suckers. Yeah, I
said
wrote it! Never in the history of the NHL has a team clamored to raise the President’s Trophy which honors the team with the best record in the League at the end of the regular season. The Los Angeles Kings are one of those. Never had it, and as it looks, never will. Leave that to the kids across town. Though it is fine and dandy to do well in-season, everyone knows that the ultimate goal is to raise the Stanley Cup.
Jun 16, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi speaks a rally to celebrate winning the 2014 Stanley Cup at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
That is what General Manager Dean Lombardi has focused on since he arrived in Los Angeles. Not only has it paid off for the team, it has paid off for him as well. Just this past week, Lombardi was named Los Angeles’ 2014 Sports Executive of the Year.
Though that is great in regards to Lombardi’s work in the last year, for the rest of us, we are no where near any sort of celebration in Kingslandia. For LA, it is another time. It is mid-season where, yearly, everything looks bleak for the the Kings of Los Angeles. That is right, LA is in their annual mid-season slump.
Los Angeles Kings
We all know it happens, but for some reason Kings’ fans see this as the beginning of the end. To be fair, that is not the general consensus, but every year it feels that way. Here is how it goes: LA starts off the season in good shape, they have some significant injuries mixed with a handful of bad games, struggle to get into the playoffs and then do their thing in the post-season. It is so precise, that the Mayans have set their calendars to it. But not really.
That is where the Los Angeles Kings are right now. This year, both injures and idiocy have the Kings in this season’s slump. First off, there is that horrendously embarrassing ordeal with Slava Voynov. His (alleged) idiocy has left Los Angeles without one of their top defensemen and it has been affecting the team’s chemistry(thanks guy!). Because of that, Jeff Schultz and Jamie McBain have been asked to hold down the fort, but neither have the talent of Voynov which LA is dearly missing.
On top of that, injuries have started to plague the Kings and it did not get any easier yesterday. Aside from Robyn Regehr who is out with a hand injury, it came out before Saturday night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets that Tyler Toffoli will be out for a few weeks with mononucleosis. Then during the game, Tanner Pearson had awkwardly hit the boards which caused him to break his ankle, which means he will be out for a few months.
Jan 10, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings left wing
Tanner Pearson(70) leaves the ice after suffering an apparent injury in the second period of the game against the Winnipeg Jets at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
To add, LA has gone 4-2-4 in their last ten games and have slipped down to fourth place in the Pacific Division whilst currently holding on to the second wild card spot. Though Kings fans should be used to this, it still does not make it any easier to deal with. But do not bash your heads against the wall or rip up those season tickets just yet! There is the silver lining!
LA has gotten through this season after season. Remember last year when Jonathan Quick sustained a groin injury in Buffalo that kept him on IR for a few months? Look what happened. Not only did he break the all-time Kings record for wins, he also won the Jennings Trophy and helped the Kings earn the lowest goals against average in the NHL. He also topped that off by raising the Stanley Cup for the second time in three seasons.
Things look dark now, but as stated above, the Kings are built for the playoffs and we are nowhere close to that yet. This is just another mid-season slump. By the time the playoffs roll around, (fingers crossed) LA should be healthy and looking to make another epic run for Lord Stanley’s Cup. It is just the way it works.
So for now, sit tight, let us hope the Kings get out of this slump sooner than later and enjoy the rest of the season!
Go Kings Go!