The Kings have not been able to repeat the success of their two Stanley Cups over the past three seasons as two of them have ended with no playoffs while the other was a quick first-round exit. The team will get Jonathan Quick back after he missed most of the year but the biggest question mark is still the offence as it has struggled to score for a while now. If Quick and Kopitar return to form, they could be a playoff team but if not another year without the playoffs will come.
Arrivals/Departures
Arrivals: Mike Cammalleri, Darcy Kuemper, Christian Folin
Departures: Ben Bishop, Jarome Iginla, Brayden McNabb, Matt Greene, Devin Setoguchi, Teddy Purcell
Forwards:
Anze Kopitar can still be one of the best centers in the NHL but his offence will need to improve back to the level it was at during LA's Stanley Cup runs. Even if Kopitar can not get his offence back up from 52 points, he may still be the best two-way forward in the league alongside Patrice Bergeron. Jeff Carter replaced lots of Kopitar's offence as he netted 32 goals; Kopitar and Carter form one of the best one two punches at center in the NHL. Tyler Toffoli was another King who struggled to score last season as he cut his goal total in half from the previous season; expect a bounce back year. The other member of Carter's and Toffoli's line is Tanner Pearson who could push for 30 goals next year. Marian Gaborik will most likely play on the top line and after another down season with only 10 goals he is not a very good top-line forward. The other top-line forward will be former King Michael Cammalleri who was signed as a free agent but after a 10-goal campaign he is not first line worthy either. Nick Shore will likely center the third line; he is a good two-way player but could work on his offence like most of the Kings. Adrian Kempe got a sample size of the NHL last season and based on the Kings' offensive problems he will be asked to provide depth scoring from the bottom six. Dustin Brown may be the most overpaid player in the NHL but he will provide leadership and maybe some depth scoring. Kyle Clifford has been a staple in the bottom six for a while as he will continue to provide toughness in 2017-18. Trevor Lewis also returns on the bottom six to provide defence from the forwards. Nic Dowd will probably be the other regular forward after an OK rookie season. Andy Andreoff and Jordan Nolan will be the depth forwards again this season while Jonny Brodzinski might make the team after a six-game call up last year.
Defenceman:
Drew Doughty is still among the elite defenceman in the NHL even after a year which would be amazing for others but was average for Doughty. Doughty was beat more than usual but even with those odd plays he contributed offensively and stopped the best in the game. Jake Muzzin is a solid number-two shutdown defenceman but he took a step back from back-to-back 40-plus point seasons to 28 points. Alec Martinez may mostly be remembered for his Stanley Cup clinching goal in overtime vs the Rangers but he has turned into a very solid defenceman. After those three. the defence has question marks though as it is full of young unknown defencemen. Derek Forbort will likely fill out the top four as he was protected during the expansion draft so the Kings see something they like in him. Christian Folin has been a depth defenceman his whole career with the Wild and will look to secure a full-time roster spot. The Kings other two young defencemen fighting for a spot are Kevin Gravel and Paul LaDue as they both got sample sizes a year ago.
Goaltending:
Even after missing most of last year, Jonathan Quick is still regarded as one of the game's best goalies as he can make the Kings a playoff contender on his own. Even though Quick has historically been a better playoff performer like many of his teammates he will steal tons of games for you. Former Minnesota Wild backup Darcy Kuemper will be Quick's new backup unless Jeff Zatkoff can take it from him.
Projected Lineup:
Mike Cammalleri
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Anze Kopitar
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Marian Gaborik
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Tanner Pearson
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Jeff Carter
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Tyler Toffoli
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Adrian Kempe
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Nick Shore
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Dustin Brown
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Kyle Clifford
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Nic Dowd
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Trevor Lewis
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Andy Andreoff
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Jonny Brodzinski
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Jordan Nolan
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Jake Muzzin
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Drew Doughty
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Derek Forbort
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Alec Martinez
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Christian Folin
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Kevin Gravel
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Paul LaDue
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Oscar Fatenberg
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Jonathan Quick
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Darcy Kuemper
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Jeff Zatkoff
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Top 10 Players:
10. Marian Gaborik
9. Mike Cammalleri
8. Tanner Pearson
7. Alec Martinez
6. Tyler Toffoli
5. Jake Muzzin
4. Jonathan Quick
3. Jeff Carter
2. Anze Kopitar
1. Drew Doughty
Projected Finish: 89 Points (5th in Pacific)
Last Year: 86 Points (5th in Pacific)
Photo credit for Mike Cammalleri goes to http://www.tsn.ca/. Anze Kopitar goes to http://bleacherreport.com/. Drew Doughty goes to http://www.nhl.com/. Jonathan Quick goes to http://www.espn.com/.
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