Well, as we're advancing toward the conference semi-finals of the playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're eliminated from the playoffs. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.
Now the next team to be eliminated from the playoffs: The Los Angeles Kings.
My prediction: First in the Pacific Division and in the playoffs.
The truth: Fourth in the division and made the seventh seed in the Western Conference. They were eliminated in six games against the San Jose Sharks.
So what happened?:
1. Every team in the division has their big man at center: Phoenix has Martin Hanzal, San Jose has Joe Thornton, Dallas has Brad Richards, and Anaheim has Ryan Getzlaf. LA has Anze Kopitar, who is excellent but went down right before the playoffs. This absolutely affected their chances of going deep in the playoffs.
2. The Dustin Penner acquisition was an absolute bust so far, and unless he commits to better health (or if the Kings can get rid of him for something in return) then this is going to look like a very regrettable trade for the Kings.
3. Not everyone was as productive as the team would have hoped. Michal Hanzus and Wayne Simmonds topped out at 30 points while Alexei Ponikarovsky hadn't produced as few points has he has since the 2002-03 season. That all carried into the playoffs and stacked up against the Sharks, it just wasn't enough.
So what's next?: Drew Doughty and other key RFAs need to be re-signed and the Kings would loved to bring in another first-line forward. The only way that's seemingly going to work is if Penner's moved or sent to the minors and paid over $4M to do so. Hanzus will either come back at a lower salary or will need to be replaced as well. I will say this though, they don't need to blow too much up. That's for certain.
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