Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports
This is the latest file in THN.com’s ongoing “Three Burning Questions” series, in which we’re asking every NHL team three notable questions ahead of the 2022-23 regular season. In this special file, we ask three burning questions about the Los Angeles Kings.
THREE BURNING QUESTIONS FOR KINGS IN 2022-23:
1. Can LA continue its uptrend? After failing to make the playoffs in the previous three seasons — and missing the postseason five times in the previous seven years — the Kings finally had a respectable year in 2021-22, finishing third in the Pacific Division and nearly knocking out the Western Conference -Finalist Edmonton Oilers in a seven-game first-round showdown. The progress validated the direction GM Rob Blake took in taking the franchise. But this is a “What have you done for me lately?” league, which means there will be a significant setback in Los Angeles if the Kings don’t build on that success this season.
Blake has essentially brought back the same roster that made a competitive leap last year; The biggest difference will be the presence of Kevin Fiala, who is part of the marquee during the off-season. The former Predators/Wild winger put together a 32-goal, 85-point season for Minnesota last season, and he’ll play in LA’s top line (alongside center Anze Kopitar and winger Adrian Kempe), so there’s reason to assuming Fiala will do 2022-23 equal or better than these individual numbers.
It’s important to remember that this Kings team is a young team — only one of their top 12 forwards (35-year-old Kopitar) is 30 years or older — and the competition in the Pacific is getting stronger thanks to the improved Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks increase. Nothing is given to kings. But if these youngsters continue their positive development and their key veterans have a healthy, productive year, there’s no reason this LA team shouldn’t make the playoffs and win at least three games there.
2. About these key veterans – what’s realistic for the Kings’ mid-30s? In all three areas of their lineup, the Kings have veterans who are anchoring things: up front. Kopitar plays the most (with an Ice Age average of 20:46); On defense, 32-year-old star Drew Doughty averaged more Ice Time (25:44) than the second-busted D-Man (Matt Roy, with 20:59); and on the net, 36-year-old Jonathan Quck came on in 46 games, nine more than 27-year-old Cal Petersen. On the surface it’s not ideal to have a trio of regulars in their mid-thirties, although there is something particularly special about the experience and know-how that players like Kopitar, Doughty and Quick have brought to the table.
Also, it’s not like Doughty, Kopitar, and Quick had a significant drop in their overall gameplay. Injuries limited Doughty to 39 games, but other than that, the three-time Stanley Cup winners provided Kings head coach Todd McLellan with a solid base on which to grow a new breed of elite talent. The problem is the amount of salary cap the trio is taking in — a whopping $26.8 million this season (per CapFriendly.com). Quick’s salary is coming off the books next summer and Kopitar’s contract expires at the end of the 2023/24 season, but right now Kings Brass needs all three veterans to remain at the level they played last season.
There’s no one in the franchise who can replace what they bring when injured, and there are very few teams willing or able to add Doughty or Quick if LA made them available. In short, they’re stuck together, and the Kings can’t afford not to contribute regularly if they’re going to make the second round of the playoffs and beyond.
3. Is Phillip Danault one of the best second-line centers in the game today? The short answer here is, “He certainly is.” The 29-year-old enjoyed success last season, his first as king after signing a six-year, $33 million deal; In 79 games, Danault broke his previous personal best with 27 goals, and he scored 50 points for the second time in his seven NHL seasons
Danault’s two-way game sets him apart among NHL second-liners, and his defensive play in LA last year was just what the doctor ordered for this growing Kings roster. At $5.5 million he’s a steal, but the Kings are expecting big things from him again this year and there’s no reason to think he won’t make it.
