LA Kings: Your rooting guide to the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
LA Kings fans will once again have to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs without their team playing in them, so it’s time to pick a temporary team.
They flirted with a playoff run for a while, but the LA Kings will once again find themselves watching the Stanley Cup playoffs from their couches this year.
This means Kings fans again have a decision to make about how they’re going to watch these playoffs. Do you just want to enjoy some good hockey and see what happens? Or do you want to throw your fandom behind another team for the time being?
If you’re in the latter camp, we’ve got you covered. We’ve laid out the case for all 16 postseason teams for why a Kings fan should get behind them for these playoffs.
West Division
Colorado Avalanche
They’re one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the NHL, and if the long-awaited second-round series between them and the Golden Knights comes to fruition, I mean, you’re not gonna root for Vegas, are you?
Minnesota Wild
They’re playing the Golden Knights in the first round, so that’s a pretty good reason to root for the Wild right off the bat. Wouldn’t it be fun to watch Kirill Kaprizov lead them on a stunning run through teams like Vegas and Colorado?
St. Louis Blues
“Three-time Stanley Cup champion Kyle Clifford” has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
Vegas Golden Knights
Alec Martinez. That’s it. That’s the Golden Knights’ section here.
Central Division
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina would be an excellent bandwagon choice for Kings fans if Justin Williams were still there, but they’re still a solid pick anyway. This is a very good team that Kings fans don’t really have a reason to dislike unless you were a Hartford Whalers fan.
Florida Panthers
I’ve always said it’s unfair to say a place isn’t a hockey town if the team there has never really given the city a chance to show it can be. And since their miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Final in just their third season of existence in 1995-96, the Panthers have given South Florida little reason to get excited about them. They’ve only been back to the playoffs four times (not including last year’s Qualifying Round) and haven’t won a series. This is the most exciting team the Panthers have ever had, and this is a franchise and fan base that is long overdue for some success.
Also, root for them for our podcast producer, Manny.
Nashville Predators
Just a couple of months ago, it looked like the window might be closing on the core that got Nashville a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016-17 and a Presidents’ Trophy in 2017-18. It sounded like the Predators were about ready to start blowing things up. But then the team got hot and surged to the final playoff spot in the Central Division. This would be a perfectly fine feel-good story to get behind. You might even get a Brad Richardson appearance.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Root for the Lightning for those long-suffering Tampa Bay sports fans, who since October have only seen their hockey team win the Stanley Cup, their football team win the Super Bowl, and their baseball team go to the World Series. These poor folks have gone like three months without a championship now.
On another note, it would be cool to see Steven Stamkos actually get to be part of a Lightning Cup run. Also, did you know Luke Schenn was still in the NHL and has been playing pretty regularly for the defending Stanley Cup champs this year?
East Division
Boston Bruins
After enduring a miserable stint in Buffalo, the misery capital of the hockey world, Taylor Hall has been thriving in Boston. His situation feels similar to Marian Gaborik’s when the Kings acquired him at the 2014 trade deadline. Gaborik was a talented scorer but had a reputation as a bit of an underachiever, especially in the playoffs. He wasn’t seen as a “winner.” Gaborik put that narrative to rest in a big way with 14 goals in those playoffs to lead the Kings to their second Cup in three years. It would be fun to watch Hall do something like that, too.
New York Islanders
There are no real Kings connections here, but for a number of reasons, it’s been easy to feel sympathy for the Islanders and their fans for a long time now. Wouldn’t it be cool if they sent Nassau Coliseum out with a bang and opened their new rink next season by raising a Stanley Cup banner?
Pittsburgh Penguins
A lot of people weren’t sure what Jeff Carter had left when the Penguins acquired him from the Kings, but he’s made an impact in Pittsburgh. If you’re looking for a former King to hitch your bandwagon to for this postseason, Carter’s as good of a choice as any. And remember, if the Penguins reach the Finals and Carter plays in 50 percent of their games, the conditional third-round pick in 2022 gets bumped to the second-round pick. Go Pens?
Washington Capitals
Yes, they’ve won a Cup with Alex Ovechkin, but the Capitals have otherwise never so much as gotten past the second round of the playoffs while employing the man who may go down as the greatest goal scorer in NHL history for 16 years and counting. One ring doesn’t feel like enough for Ovechkin.
North Division
Edmonton Oilers
If the Oilers go on a deep playoff run, do you really doubt Connor McDavid’s ability to challenge Wayne Gretzky’s record of 47 points in a single postseason? As far as I’m concerned, the longer we get to watch McDavid, the better.
Montreal Canadiens
Just so you know, if you’re still bitter about 1993, it’s a giveaway that you’re old.
The Kings have won two Cups since then anyway. Come on. It’s time to let go of that grudge and root for Tyler Toffoli, enjoying a career year in his first season in Montreal, to lead hockey’s most storied franchise back to glory for the first time since beating the Kings nearly three decades ago.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Jack Campbell’s emergence is a great story, and he seems likely to begin the playoffs in between the pipes for Toronto, where old friend Jake Muzzin is patrolling the blue line as well. And speaking of grudges that date back to 1993, if the Leafs end their infamous Cup drought this year, maybe their fans will finally stop telling everyone how they would have won it all if only Gretzky’s high stick on Doug Gilmour had been called.
Ok, probably not.
Winnipeg Jets
From Trevor Lewis to Derek Forbort to Nate Thompson, there’s no shortage of former Kings to root for here. You may have your reasons for disliking a high-profile franchise like the Leafs or Habs, and the Oilers were a division rival of the Kings for the past seven years and will likely go back to being one next year. If you’re a Kings fan, there’s definitely a case for the Jets to be your team, at least in the North Division.