KINGS 2024 REVIEW

[yave1964]

PRESEASON OUTLOOK Adding Dubois, hope was they might make it out of the first round. How many years in a row can a team lose in the first round to the Oilers? Hope was goaltending would improve.

 

FINAL RECORD 44-27-11 99 points. Lost in first round to the Oilers. Again.

 

STRANGE STAT OF THE YEAR For a very inconsistent offense man do they love to shoot. They were third in total shots for the year. 

Talbot had a crazy season, he started as the end all be all going 12-4-1 after he shut out Montreal on December 7th. Then suddenly he aged seemingly overnight, he suddenly remembered that he is old going 15-16-4.

 

HIGH POINT OF THE YEAR After that shellacking of the Habs the Kings they were on a solid run of 12-2-1. They looked like the real deal.

 

LOW POINT OF THE YEAR Talbot got old, like really old, Copley was a fluke and injured and out for the year and suddenly they were in trouble. Losing December 28th to Vegas set off a stretch of confidence breaking 2-8-6 stretch. 

  But the first round easy loss to the Oilers was the lowest of the low.

 

WHAT WENT RIGHT Fiala had a damn fine year, Kopitar is slowing down a bit but is aging like fine wine. Byfield established himself as a real deal middle six forward. Kempe hjad a fine year, Trevor Moore led the team in  goals with 31. Doughty had a punching the clock for 50 points season on his way to the hall. Danault had his usual secondary two way solid year. Gavrikov and Spence did a lot right on the back end.Rittich came out of nowhere and saved the season as a steady tender when they needed it the most. 

 

WHAT WENT WRONG PLD had a very poor start out of the gate and played most of the year on the third line. Kids such as Clarke, Kalyev, Dolan, Thomas, Moverare and Turcotte were given looks and did nothing with it. Arvidsson could not stay healthy. Copley started slow and was injured and missed most of the year. Talbot played very poorly after a brilliant start. 

 

FREE AGENTS Arvidsson could not stay healthy and is a free agent who likely wont be back. Matt Roy is likely out of chances on the back end. Talbot and Copley, ugh, quickly forgotten. 

 They have a first but no 2nd or 3rd.

 

TOP PROSPECTS Brandt Clarke, man i love this kid, he did ok in his debut season and will stick next year and should be the top offensive dman. I really like Erik Portillo and he might be a sleeper in net next year. Franncesco Pinelli will be a solid middle six forward very soon. Alex Turcotte has been given every chance as the fifth pick in the draft but he has bombed. Fagemo and Chromiak can score a bit but their defense is bad so they might be run out. 

 

OFFSEASON QUESTION MARKS Dubois bombed in his first season, will he bounce back? Will Clarke suplant Doughty as the offensive defenseman? will they make a splash in free agency and sign a Guentzel or trade for a Necas? 

 They are what they are, more or less the West Coast version of the Nashville Predators, a 100 point first round fodder team with obvious strengths and glaring weaknesses. Young enough to be relevant (sort of ) but they overpaid for PLD and will pay for it for years to come.