Los Angeles Kings on the cusp of western glory
NHL teams who prefer to empty their wallets and sign or trade for high-priced players during the offseason have difficulty finding chemistry. As a result, this limits them from making noise in the playoffs.
It’s just simple logic.
While each team enters the summer with different wants and needs, franchises that make the most subtle, underrated changes have perennially been amongst the highest finishers in the regular season — in addition to finding playoff success.
Nevertheless, the moves made by Dean Lombardi and the Los Angeles Kings only added to an abundant talent pool on a youthful roster, which should pay short and long-term dividends for a club that has been on the cusp of contending for a Stanley Cup for the better part of the last two seasons.
There’s no question they made a splash this summer; obtaining Mike Richards via trade and signing the oft-injured Simon Gagne as a free agent were both huge acquisitions.
After years of developing homegrown talent and allowing said prospects to blossom, Lombardi fetched impact players just as the organization begins to peak. Both gains were calculated risks, but project to enhance the club’s experience and game-breakability.
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Richards only adds to the Kings’ depth at center, giving head coach Terry Murray more options, especially in the postseason. The Kenora, Ont. product plays a strong two-way game and undoubtedly shines the brightest while killing penalties or being a presence on the ice in the last minute of a playoff game.
Richards will play a pivotal role in ensuring the team’s young guns have the proper mindset to avoid losing focus on the task at hand. With Anze Kopitar and Richards both in the fold for the long haul, the Kings can count on having at least two strong scoring lines.
For the Kings to overcome the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011-12 playoffs, or any team for that matter, they must have a balanced attack with offensive contributions from the top nine forwards, puck movement from the likes of Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson on the backend, as well as a seasoned and readily available Jonathan Quick.
On paper, Los Angeles has one of the best rosters top to bottom in the NHL. In order to handle the playoff pressure and adjust to increasingly high expectations, the Kings cannot focus on the challenge of winning a Stanley Cup. All the talk surrounding the team has centered on their quest to put them over the top, but it’s merely one step at a time — and in their case in particular, one playoff round at a time.
What Richards brings off the ice and in the locker room from his time in Philadelphia is almost as critical to the Kings’ success to what he will bring on the ice.
The Kings have been knocking on the door the last few seasons and have discretely positioned themselves as a squad who could very well assume the Western Conference’s throne.
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