The offseason moves by general manager Ken Holland and the Los Angeles Kings this summer have received mixed reviews in the media and by the fans of the team on social media.
Among the biggest criticisms Holland and the Kings have faced this offseason is that the roster is too old and that the team will be too reliant on aging veterans.
The Hockey News had some pretty striking criticism of the Kings' offseason moves, including signing multiple aging veteran forwards for impact roles for this upcoming regular season. Ranking the Kings 22nd could seem like it's being overly critical on the surface, especially considering the amount of talent that Holland and the front office added this summer.
But when looking at the whole roster, the concerns that The Hockey News presents about the Kings getting older and not addressing some of the team's biggest weaknesses, it's difficult to dismiss altogether.
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That said, there were some positives that emerged from this offseason for Holland and the Kings. First, the Kings signed key veterans who can make an instant impact on this forward group, including re-signing two-way center Scott Laughton and signing veterans Erik Haula and Mats Zuccarello.
The concern here is that many of the Kings' additions only made an already aging roster even older. Los Angeles leaned very heavily on proven veterans this summer rather than adding younger pieces who could help to reshape the core for years to come. Even though players like Zuccarello and Haula can help the team and contribute offensively, it's fair to question how much upside those moves actually give the Kings.
The combination of the Kings signing a proven top-six playmaker in the former Minnesota Wild veteran winger Zuccarello and having star forward Artemi Panarin for a full season for the first time should give the top two forward lines added firepower.
The Kings also hired new head coach Peter Laviolette, who brings a more than 20-year track record of proven success in the NHL, who should be able to improve the offense and get more efficiency out of the power play top unit.
It's fair to criticize the Kings for not addressing a couple of the team's biggest needs on the roster this summer. Holland and the Kings were not able to add a puck-moving defenseman to help create more offense from the point and drive the play in transition.
Going into this offseason, it was a major priority for the Kings to shake up the blue line in key areas to improve the team's results on special teams and in the defensive zone.
The moves the Kings made to add more veteran players also helped the team improve the roster, but it might not have gotten them any closer to being a true Stanley Cup contender. Between the Kings not adding a puck-moving defenseman and the retirement of Anze Kopitar this offseason, there are some big question marks for the Kings contender status this fall.
While calling the Kings' offseason moves desperate feels pretty excessive, The Hockey News' criticism of the team's focus this summer is still understandable in certain ways. The Kings and Holland didn't sign risky long-term contracts, and some of the veteran signings should be able to make an immediate impact.
But the overall skepticism that The Hockey News has of the Kings' moves this offseason within the lense of actually getting the team closer to contender status for the Stanley Cup is easier to understand.
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