Do The Los Angeles Kings Need An Attitude Adjustment Going Into the All-Star Game?
Are the Los Angeles Kings in need of an attitude adjustment?
It’s been a tumultuous January for the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
“Last season doesn’t mean anything today.”
The Kings enter the NHL All-Star weekend on a four-game losing streak.
In a month when the Kings played seven straight home games, they posted a record of 1-2-4. The two away games completed in January, at the beginning and end of the seven-game homestand, resulted in one victory, one loss.
In the Kings last 10 games they are 2-3-5; in their last 20 L.A. is 6-6-7. That’s dating back to December 9th, 2014.
The Kings have slipped into 9th place in the Western Conference standings with 52 points and a record of 20-15-12.
L.A. used to be one of the best NHL teams on home ice. Even after the bad homestand the Kings are 15-6-6 at Staples Center. There are currently 12 NHL teams with 15 or more wins on home ice this season.
Clearly morale is low.
Jan 19, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings ice crew members maintain the ice against the Calgary Flames at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The L.A. Kings Ice Crew have more pep and better performances on the ice than the Kings!
Let’s examine the Kings attitude going into the All-Star break. Here are some food-for-thought topics to consider.
What the players attitudes?
First off, they’re professionals. They play in the most elite hockey league in the world. To get to this point, players have to enter every game believing they can win.
Second, it’s the Kings. The core of this team is still intact, and they’ve shown they can be resilient when it truly counts. When the chips are down and their backs are against the wall, they find a way to dig it out and win. A prime example is from the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Kings battled back from a three-games-to-zero deficit to defeat the San Jose Sharks in four-consecutive games, making history and taking the series.
That being said the players, like the rest of us, are realistic and susceptible to doubt and worry. Last season doesn’t mean anything today.
Kings All-Star forward Anze Kopitar commented on the team’s mood after Wednesday’s 4-2 loss in San Jose.
“We’re definitely disappointed in where we are in the standings right now, so I think these . . . four or five days, we’ve got to figure that out. It’s time to play desperate when we come back out of the break,” Kopitar said.
The team has struggled to put the puck in the net all season long. The Kings typically generate more shots on goal than their opponents. The Kings are currently 8th in the NHL in shots on goal per game with 31.2. The Kings are 6th best in the NHL giving up an average of 27.5 shots per game.
Despite those numbers the Kings have 129 goals for, 17th in the NHL; that calculates out to 2.72 goals per game, 16th in the NHL. Giving up an average of 2.53 goals per game puts the Kings at 13th in the NHL. The difference in goals for and goals allowed per game is 0.19, whereas top teams in the Western Conference like the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks have a difference of .72, and .74 respectively.
If you want a clear-cut example, look no further than Kopitar.
In 44 games this season Kopitar has 11 goals and 37 points. That’s not terrible, but consider where Kopitar is coming from. Kopitar has led the Kings in scoring points the last 7 seasons, dating back to the 2006-2007 when he was a rookie.
Last season Kopitar scored 29 goals and 70 points in 82 games, while maintaining a +34 plus/minus. This season Kopitar is behind on meeting his previous point marks, and his plus/minus is -6.
Yet Kopitar is an All-Star this season.
Forget the numbers, just watching the games it’s obvious the Kings aren’t scoring. And pep-talks seldom provide the remedy to scoring woes.
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Which leads us to the next question:
What is the attitude of General Manager Dean Lombardi and the Kings management personnel.
Last season the Kings floated in and out of a playoff spot, so Lombardi took action. Making the steal of the day, and season, Lombardi saw something that could help franchise and he reached out and grabbed it. This priceless asset as you all know is Marian Gaborik.
Gaborik helped the Kings get to the playoffs, then led the team with 14 playoff goals en route to his first Stanley Cup.
So, what’s the plan for this year? Could someone be moved or added to shake up the team and provide some much-needed goalscoring?
Only Lombardi knowns.
Unfortunately, due to the Kings current cap-situation, it will be a difficult deal to get done. There have been rumors that Mike Richards is on the chopping block.
At this point it’s not about who will be traded. It’s a philosophical decision. Do they want to gut it out? Will the push aside the fear and panic that leads to blowing up the team? Do they want to stick to the system they have in place? Or do they need to move some people around, and stir the pot to push the tempo and get a different results?
It all boils down to this: what can actually be done?
It’s hard to use historical evidence to anticipate the decision the Kings will make. L.A. makes reactive moves that are short and long-term benefits.
Bringing in a star-gunner like Gaborik was unprecedented until the 2014 trade deadline. In the 2012 run, the Kings took 3-0 game leads in all four playoff series. All of which started on the road. The Kings kept the same team they had suited up all season, with the exception of a few young rookies fill-ins on the fourth line, like Dwight King and Jordan Nolan, that stepped up to the task.
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Currently the expectation is that the Kings well keep the same roster. Due to cap-space restrictions, injuries, and the needed talent up-front on offense it’s unlikely any major changes happens.
The belief is the Kings will be scouring the market for a top-four defensemen. The chances they get one, will be competitive and slim.
Lombardi knows there is a short window running out for this core group of Kings. At some point, more likely than not, next year, the Kings will have to start to break up some of their top 6-7 forwards.
Expect L.A. to turn it up and sneak into the playoffs. It’s what they do. Once they’re in, anything is possible.
For those of us holding out hope, it’s the crowning of a Kings dynasty.
Join the discussion! Comment on twitter @RinkRoyalty or below with your thoughts or questions. Do you think the Kings need an attitude adjustment, or would you tell them, “don’t go changing.”
We’ll see what the Kings have in store when they come back from the break. It’s going to take a ton of blood, sweat, and tears for these southern princes to reclaim the throne, proving they’re worthy Kings.
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Jan 17, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Mike Richards (10), defenseman Alec Martinez (27), center Jordan Nolan (71), defenseman Jeff Schultz (55) and left wing Kyle Clifford (13) head to the bench after a goal in the second period of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports