LA Kings: Gabe Vilardi “Feeling Comfortable” After Seesaw Campaign
By Ryan Cowley
The remainder of this season is an unofficial audition for LA Kings players for next season. For Gabe Vilardi, it’s been so far, so good.
Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, the LA Kings still have plenty to play for as they close out their regular season. The remaining games on the schedule have served as an unofficial audition for current Kings players as they showcase their worth for next season to the coaching staff and front-office management. Gabe Vilardi, for one, has answered the bell thus far.
Following Saturday night’s loss to Colorado, Kings head coach Todd McLellan spoke with the media about his plans for using the remaining schedule for his players to either step up or bow out as the team looks forward to the 2021-22 season.
“We’re getting younger, we’re moving forward and if you’re not along for the ride, if you’re not getting better, we’re going past you,” McLellan stressed on Saturday. “So, a great challenge for some of the guys that have been here for a little while: keep your job.”
One player, in particular, has been using this opportunity to stand out.
Gabe Vilardi has certainly had his share of struggles this season but to his credit, has elevated his game as of late. In fact, his assist on Alex Iafallo‘s equalizer on Monday extended his point streak to four games, which ties a career-high previously set in February.
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The Kingston, Ont., native spoke with the media about this following Monday’s game.
“I’m feeling comfortable right now. I’m playing with two good linemates that both work hard and I’m able to get the puck so I can make more plays. Yeah, we’re creating right now offensively so we can do more.”
In those four games, Vilardi has three goals and two assists for five points, collecting his 13th helper of the season on Monday. The 21-year-old, though, is making a conscious effort to take more shots, touching on a significant issue for the Kings this season.
“I think to shoot, just, like, less thinking. I felt like before, I was trying to make the perfect play or set someone up and have them have an empty net, whereas [I’ve] got to trust my linemates and trust other guys, and shoot,” Vilardi explained. “You watch the top players, they shoot, and when you shoot, it creates more opportunity. It creates the defensive scramble a bit more — that’s when you get guys out of position and that’s when things open up.
“So, stuff opens up off the shots and I’m starting to learn that and realize that a bit more, that [I’ve] got to keep shooting because it creates more rather than not shooting and trying to make the perfect play.”
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Through 52 games this season, Vilardi has registered a total of 64 shots. Yet, while that is a decent number, the former Kingston Frontenac knows that said total could be a lot better. This was especially the case during his infamous 23-game goalless drought earlier this season.
While over half of the teams are looking forward to the playoffs, the LA Kings are instead looking forward to this summer and ultimately what will be in store for next season.
They may not have been expected to qualify for the postseason but the shortcoming is nonetheless disappointing for the LA Kings. Nevertheless, it is onward and upward for the silver-and-black as the next few games, as well as the next few months, should determine how different this team will look when the puck drops to begin next season.
This unofficial audition will be good for some players, but not so good for others. So far, Gabe Vilardi fits the former as the Kings’ 2017 first-rounder vies to earn his spot on an up-and-coming squad set to graduate to the next level.