2014-15 LEADING SCORERS
C Anze Kopitar (16 G, 48 A, 64 P)
C Jeff Carter (28 G, 34 A, 62 P)
RW Tyler Toffoli (23 G, 26 A, 49 P)
LAST SEASON
If you were to find a word to describe the 2014-15 Los Angeles Kings season, the most appropriate would be disappointing. When I say this, I don't mean it was a bad season, because it really wasn't. The Kings finished 4th in the Pacific Division with a record of 40-27-15, and just barely missed the playoffs. The reason we may call this season disappointing is because just the previous year, the Kings won the Stanley Cup. This could very well be a case of the post-cup exhaustion that some teams experience, but it was still disappointing for Kings fans nonetheless.
The Kings made one major move at the trade deadline in 2015 to hopefully carry them to the playoffs, sending a conditional 1st round pick along with prospect Roland McKeown to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Andrej Sekera. Unfortunately, this move would not be enough to clinch a playoff spot, and they ended up with the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. However, nobody panicked and the Kings moved forward knowing they still had the pieces to be a contender.
OFFSEASON
IN
Milan Lucic
Jhonas Enroth
Joel Lowry
OUT
Martin Jones
Colin Miller
Mike Richards
Robyn Regehr
Justin Williams
Bud Holloway
David van der Gulik
Jarret Stoll
Andrej Sekera
Andrew Bodnarchuk
Heading into the draft, the Kings made a major deal. After realizing that clutch performer Justin Williams would not return to the team, the Kings swung a deal with the Los Angeles Kings, sending goaltender Martin Jones, prospect Colin Miller, and their 13th overall pick to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Milan Lucic. Heading into free agency, the Kings lost many longtime pieces, including Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll, and Robyn Regehr, as well as recently acquired Andrej Sekera. One could argue that the Kings downgraded from last year, but they made room for their rookies to push for a spot in the lineup. They signed goaltender Jhonas Enroth as a backup goalie to replace Martin Jones, and didn't do too much after that, besides a depth signing in Joel Lowry.
NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE
The Kings offense next season will be led by Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, and Jeff Carter, with newly acquired Milan Lucic to provide a physical, goal scoring presence that can be useful in the regular season and the playoffs. Youngsters Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson will provide the secondary scoring options for the Kings. Look for Andy Andreoff and Nick Shore to push for regular roster spots as well.
NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE
The Kings lost two big parts to their defensive core in Andrej Sekera and Robyn Regehr, but luckily for them, they have two young defensemen who appear to be ready to make the NHL jump and replace the two veterans in Brayden McNabb and Derek Forbort. Aside from that, Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin will lead the Kings defensively.
NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING
The Kings goaltending will be led by Jonathan Quick as the starter, and Jhonas Enroth as the backup. Look for young Jean-Francois Berube to compete with Enroth for the Kings' backup job.
POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP
Milan Lucic - Anze Kopitar - Marian Gaborik
Tanner Pearson - Jeff Carter - Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King - Nick Shore - Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford - Andy Andreoff - Trevor Lewis
Drew Doughty - Jake Muzzin
Alec Martinez - Jamie McBain
Brayden McNabb - Matt Greene
Jonathan Quick
Jhonas Enroth
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