The Los Angeles Kings had a questionable offseason.
Coming off one of their best seasons in franchise history, new Kings GM Ken Holland made some questionable moves, leaving fans scratching their heads.
Now that Los Angeles is just past the halfway point of the season, the Kings are barely in a playoff spot, and fans are calling for head coach Jim Hiller to be fired.
However, they have more than one issue to resolve before heading in the right direction.
The Kings are struggling. Plain and simple. They are 2-3 in their last five games and have been outscored 17-13 in those games. Los Angeles is now fifth in the Pacific Division with a 19-16-10 record, which is not better than being a .500 hockey team. We could say that they are struggling in all areas because Joel Armia, Anze Kopitar, and Trevor Moore are not in the lineup. However, these struggles came long before they were placed on injured reserve.
This is not about scoring, defense, or goaltending individually. All three are to blame for the downfall. The Kings have 19 wins, and the league average is 23 wins. Los Angeles has a .533 win percentage, and the league average is .565. They have scored 117 goals this season, and the league average is 138. The power play is operating at a 16.30% clip, and the league average is 20.52%.
Kopitar is having an off season, posting 21 points in 37 games. Warren Foegele has eight points in 37 games. Andrei Kuzmenko has 17 points in 49 games. Quinton Byfield has 27 points in 44 games. Cody Ceci, Jeff Malott, Taylor Ward, Samuel Helenius, and Andre Lee have combined for 16 points this season, an average of three points per player. The lack of scoring cannot be put on any one player. This is a team issue. Everyone needs to step up.
Goaltender Darcy Kuemper was an elite goaltender last season and put together one of the best seasons by a netminder in franchise history. However, he is also part of the problem. This season, he has a record of 12-9-7 with a .905 save percentage and a 2.49 goals against average. These are the numbers of a backup goaltender. Anton Forsberg has been below average, posting a record of 7-6-3 with a 3.07 goals against average and an .893 save percentage. The Kings could use a shakeup between the pipes.
Too many turnovers in the neutral zone. The problem is consistent, unlike the Kings’ play.
The offense clicks one night while the defense and goaltending take a back seat. Next game, the defense plays well, and the offense does not show up. They have a winning record, but they have not played a complete 60 minutes all season, even in wins.
Los Angeles holds the second wild card spot in the Western Conference but is only 10 points out of the 10th spot. Currently, Los Angeles is 7-10-5 at home and excellent 12-6-5 on the road. Shootouts have not been the Kings’ best, as they are 3-5 in those situations. One thing not helping the Kings is their 4-5-1 record in their last 10 games, which is pulling them further down in the conference standings.
Los Angeles needs to shake things up, or this will get worse. Firing Hiller will only get the team so far, and they need a roster shakeup.
Plenty of teams around the league need to make moves, so there are options.
Will the Kings and Holland make a bold move or two to get them back into a winning mindset, or is this season already lost?
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