LA Kings: Does the LA Kings core have a championship encore?

The LA Kings championship core consists of Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty, and Jeff Carter. Together, they led the team to its highest points in franchise history – can they do it again?

Dean Lombardi was hired as the General Manager of the LA Kings on April 21, 2006, and many credit him being the architect of the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup-winning teams. A closer look, however, reveals the ascension to the top began before he was hired.

Then Los Angeles General Manager Dave Taylor drafted Dustin Brown in the first round of the 2003 NHL entry draft. Brown would quickly become captain and a face of the franchise with his gritty, tenacious play while possessing a goal scorer’s touch. A solid cornerstone on which to build had been established.

Two years later, in 2005, Taylor would strike draft day gold again. With the #11 overall pick, he selected Anze Kopitar – the bonafide #1 center every championship team needs. Two rounds later, goaltender Jonathan Quick‘s name would be called. After eventually beating out Jonathan Bernier for the Kings starting job in the crease, Quick would establish himself as “the best money goaltender in the game” during the cup years.

The fourth piece of the core was drafted by Dean Lombardi. With the #2 overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft, LA took Drew Doughty. The right-handed shooting defenseman jumped right into the NHL as an 18-year-old and never looked back. Not only would he win the Stanley Cup twice, in 2016 he won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. Over the years, Doughty has become a favorite among reporters – as he is rarely at a loss for words.

Dean Lombardi made several trades that helped make the LA Kings into a powerhouse, bringing in Mike Richards, Matt Greene, Jarret Stoll, and Marian Gaborik among others. The trade for Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets at the 2012 trade deadline, however, would turn out to be the most impactful deal he made. Still, with the team, Carter’s impact on the championship teams was huge. Even at 36 years old, the team just isn’t the same when its alternate captain is not in the lineup or playing at 100 percent.

With a core group of players like this, it really isn’t surprising the LA Kings won two Stanley Cups. What is surprising is how quickly the good times came to an end.

Storm clouds began to gather in October of 2014.

A little over five months after winning the Stanley Cup, The Kings players and their wives/girlfriends had gathered for a party. Later that night, defenseman Slava Voynov committed a horrible act of domestic violence against his wife, which would result in him moving back to Russia and never returning to the Kings. A key piece of the 2014 championship team was gone, but more trouble was on the way.

Lombardi acquired Mike Richards from the Philadelphia Flyers in a massive deal on June 23rd, 2011. Referring to Richards as his “Derek Jeter,” Lombardi appeared to strike gold, as Richards was a huge part of the 2012 title and contributed to the 2014 championship as well. It went downhill fast from there, however, as the Kings terminated his contract on June 29th, 2015.

His contract termination was brought on by his arrest at the US/Canada for possession of an unprescribed controlled substance. The aftermath of the legal battle over the termination has the Kings paying on it until 2032.

Jarret Stoll was a “heart and soul” type of player for the Kings since he came to the team (along with Matt Greene) via trade from the Edmonton Oilers in 2008. The hard-working center anchored the bottom-six group of forwards that was so instrumental in helping the Kings to their Stanley Cup wins.

Then, in 2015, the unthinkable happened. At a team party in Las Vegas, Stoll was arrested for possession of cocaine (which was later reduced). Already a pending free agent, the Kings would not re-sign him and his playing days in LA were over.

The Stanley Cup era in Los Angeles came to an in April 2017, when both Lombardi and Head Coach Daryl Sutter were fired. For all the good these two men did for the franchise, a change in direction was needed. At this point, the Kings were in salary cap trouble, and too much young talent and draft capital had been traded away to immediately replenish the team.

Although they became champions under him, the players had grown weary of Sutter’s hard-nosed ways. Rob Blake took over as General Manager, and John Stevens became the new Head Coach. Even though they made the playoffs the following season (suffering a first-round sweep by Vegas), the dark days of a re-build lay ahead.

They say that it is darkest before the dawn, and in the case of the LA Kings, this may very well be true.

After what looked like another subpar season in 2019-20, the team “got off the mat” to end the pandemic shortened season on a seven-game win streak. This was a very pleasant surprise for most Kings fans, except for those that were in the tank for the #1 pick camp. Even more surprising, and better yet, promising, was that it was youngsters like Gabe Vilardi, Martin Frk, and Cal Petersen that led the way.

As of this writing, the Kings have a 4-6-3 record for a total of 11 points, which has them sitting in seventh place in the Honda West Division. While certainly not spectacular, it is well known this is supposed a season of transition for the Kings from the old guard to the new guard. The process has been slow, and with many of the much-ballyhooed prospects still in Ontario, it has been the “old guard” that is still carrying this team.

Anze Kopitar has been his usual stellar, steady self. The 33-year-old leads the team once again in scoring with 17 points so far, and his 13 assists are good for sixth overall in the NHL. The LA Kings captain is still under contract for three more seasons after this one and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Defenseman Drew Doughty is enjoying a comeback season so far. Much has been made of what appeared to be a decline in play over the past two seasons, but he appears determined to put those doubts to rest. His three goals and eight assists place him third overall on the team in scoring, and he has averaged an astounding 26 minutes and 49 seconds of time on ice per game.

This season has presented many challenges for the Kings on defense between injuries and assimilating young players into the lineup. Still, Doughty has been the anchor and leader of the team’s defensive corps.

Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter are similar in the regard they are both 36 and have contracts that are expiring after this season. Both are also skating like they have found the fountain of youth. After battling injuries for the past couple of seasons, Carter is skating as he did during the cup years. He only has two goals on forty shots, so perhaps “puck luck” has not been on his side, but a move to the wing has certainly been beneficial in getting “Carts” back on track.

Brown has been a force for the LA Kings this season, especially on the power play where he has five goals. After starting the season in his usual spot on the top line, the former captain has been moved up and down the lineup in an effort to spread out the team’s offense. No matter what line he has been on, Brown has made his presence felt.

The one member of the LA Kings championship core that is not off to a great start is goaltender Jonathan Quick. When the season started, it was understood that he would be in a timeshare with the “goalie of the future” Calvin Petersen. After thirteen games played, however, it looks like Petersen has taken over as the King’s number one goalie.

Although they both have two wins, Petersens save percentage, and goals-against average have been much better than Quick’s – and as a result, Petersen has now started three straight games. Jonathan Quick is still a valuable part of the team, but his days as the number one goaltender may be drawing to a close.