As the summer drags on I thought I’d take the time to take a look at the other teams that make up the Pacific Division, what they did and where I think they could end up when its all said and done. This time I will look at that Sharks most hated rivals in The Los Angles Kings who missed the playoffs after winning the cup the year prior and still managed to make more news for off ice events.
Who’s in:
F – Milan Lucic (Trade)
G – Jonas Enroth (Free Agent)
Who’s out:
G – Martin Jones (Trade)
D – Colin Miller (Trade)
D – Andrej Sekera (Free Agent)
F – Justin Williams (Free Agent)
F – Jarred Stoll (Free Agent)
F – Mike Richards (Contract Termination)
Ian’s Quick Breakdown:
The Los Angeles Kings entered last season with sky high expectations as they had come off their 2014 Stanley Cup victory with their winning roster basically in tact but the decision to not use a compliance buyout on Mike Richards and the impossible to foresee legal issues facing Slava Voynov that resulted from an assault on his wife and would have a pretty significant impact on the cap ceiling pushing Kings Team. Voynov’s absence would have them playing short of a full bench before the NHL gave them cap relief as Voynov would miss the remainder of the year which left a significant hole in the Kings defence core. The Kings known for their ability to coast through the season and “turn it on when it mattered” would not be able to find the extra gear when it mattered down the stretch run where the team would lock Head Coach Darryl Sutter out of the dressing room during their late season skid. Another elite forward who had a pretty off year was Anze Kopitar who should return to form this year. It was not all bad for the Kings though as “That 70’s Line” featuring Tanner Pearson, Jeff Carter and Tyler Taffoli who’s 2 year extension worth $3.25 M AAV contract is a great value and seems to have gone under the radar but may be one of the best deals made this off season. The Kings legal problems were not over with Voynov as Jarred Stoll who was a pending UFA and probably not returning was arrested for possession of cocaine and ecstasy he would plead guilty to a misdemeanour. Mike Richards was found bringing Oxycontin across the Canadian Border and an investigation is still on going but the Kings opted to terminate his contract after he spent much of the year in the AHL. The Mike Richards case is interesting because if the NHLPA fights the contract termination and wins it will add to the Kings significant cap issues as his contract would count as a buyout against the cap. Finally Voynov would be found guilty of the assault on his wife and is currently serving his 90 day sentence for that crime. The NHL is doing their own investigation to decide if they will lift his suspension or not and honestly I think that he will return to the Kings line up if not in time for camp than at the latest before the calendar changes to 2016. This won’t be a popular opinion but I don’t think the NHL should have to compensate for a slap on the wrist from the criminal justice system. Enroth replacing Jones behind Quick should not be an issue for the Kings as Quick will probably play close to 70 games. The addition of Lucic should make the Kings more difficult to play against but I’m not sure if he makes them better. I would not be shocked to see the Kings miss the playoffs this year as I think they have lost more than they have gained and the losses are significant. Having Voynov back (if that happens) and Lucic definitely makes them a threat but the Pacific should return to its former competitive nature and I’m curious to see how they respond.
Projected Lines:
Lucic – Kopitar – Gaborik
Pearson – Carter – Taffoli
King – Shore – Brown
Clifford – Lewis – Nolan
Muzzin – Doughty
Martinez – Voynov
McNabb – Green
Quick
Enroth
Circle Your 2015-16 Calendar:
Sharks @ Kings – Wednesday Oct. 7th, 2015
Kings @ Sharks – Thursday Oct. 22nd, 2015
Sharks @ Kings – Tuesday Dec. 22nd, 2015
Kings @ Sharks – Sunday Jan. 24th, 2016
Kings @ Sharks – Monday Mar. 28th, 2016
Projected Pacific Division Standings:
1) Anaheim Ducks
2) Calgary Flames
3) San Jose Sharks
4) Los Angeles Kings
5) Edmonton Oilers
6) ??????????
7) Arizona Coyotes
Ian Reid is the Lead Hockey Analyst for RSEN who also covers the San Jose Sharks. You can follow him on Twitter @IanBlogsSharks.
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