LOS ANGELES KINGS
LAST SEASON: 48-28-6, 102 points. Second in Pacific Division. Lost to San Jose in first round.
COACH: Darryl Sutter (sixth season, 17th NHL season).
ADDED: LW Teddy Purcell, D Tom Gilbert, G Jeff Zatkoff.
LOST: LW Milan Lucic, C Vincent Lecavalier, D Luke Schenn, RW Kris Versteeg.
PLAYER TO WATCH: C Anze Kopitar. The Kings' newly appointed captain is also a newly minted Selke Trophy winner. He already carried a large chunk of their offensive responsibilities, but he must grow as a leader to keep Los Angeles competitive in what could be a challenging start to the season.
OUTLOOK: After a first-round postseason flop erased much of the good feelings from a strong regular season, the Kings will again rely on the indefinable strength of their championship-winning core to contend after making no significant offseason additions. Yet after two Stanley Cup runs that came out of seemingly nowhere, nobody will ever underestimate the Kings in the spring.
