Brian Dumoulin, D
At the time when Holland and the Kings signed the defensive duo of veterans Dumoulin and Ceci to multi-year contracts, each being worth over $4 million in average annual value, it seemed like head-scratching moves for the then-new Los Angeles general manager.
The Kings signed Dumoulin with the expectation that he would bring more veteran presence and reliability on the blue line this past season. But I must say that Dumoulin's start to this past regular season was pretty disappointing.
Dumoulin led the Kings in defensive zone giveaways and he played on the worst-performing defensive pairing, with Ceci, on the blue line for the Kings this past regular season.
Despite those struggles in the zone defensively, Dumoulin remained a reliable transition defenseman who helped move the puck out of the defensive zone. He also played all 82 games and logged valuable minutes on special teams on the penalty kill for the Kings.
Grade: C
Cody Ceci, D
Ceci and Dumoulin faced similar issues for the Kings on the blue line this past regular season. The fact that the Kings signed both defensemen to long-term commitments automatically hurts their grades on this list.
And while Ceci gave the Kings a veteran presence on defense, he had problems with defensive zone giveaways and moving the puck up the ice from his side of the ice.
Like Dumoulin, Ceci was a reliable penalty killer on special teams for the Kings this past regular season. And he also played all 82 games in the regular season on the blue line for the Kings.
However, unlike Dumoulin, Ceci's biggest issue wasn't just turnovers, it was the inability to consistently move the puck cleanly out of the defensive zone, which often left the Kings defending for extended stretches and giving up scoring opportunities.
Grade: D
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