Kings Postseason Grades
In October, the thought of the defending Stanley Cup champs missing the playoffs for the first time since 2009 was unthinkable. But maybe that season-opening blowout by the San Jose Sharks was telling, because ultimately, the Kings grew stale in a season that proved to be more trying than any other in recent history.
As the 2014-2015 season comes to a premature end for the Kings, here's how they grade out and what they have to look forward to in the future.
Forwards: B-
On many nights, the second line was the only line that produced. The production dipped after Tanner Pearson went down for the season, despite Dwight King's best attempts. The left winger was a good replacement but can't create like Pearson. The top line combination of Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik didn't necessarily lose it's playoff magic, but it too had its droughts. Lines 1-4 failed to generate significant chances on most nights. There's a group of young centermen knocking at the door, the salary cap and coach Darryl Sutter will dictate whether or not it gets opened.
Defensemen: C
Drew Doughty brings up the average with his 28:59 minutes per game. This was not the plan, insists G.M. Dean Lombardi. The team was prepared to lose one defenseman on a given night and were encouraged by the growth of Brayden McNabb, but losing Slava Voynov for the season and then Robyn Regehr and Alec Martinez for long stretches wasn't anticipated. Ondrej Sekera was a good move while it lasted, but his season ended even earlier after he was diagnosed with an MCL injury.
Special Teams: B
The power play was inconsistent at best and coach Davis Payne has had to take the criticisms. The Kings finished 12th in the league with a 19.0 conversion rate, but the team routinely went long stretches without scoring on the power play, suffering without Voynov on the second unit. The penalty kill was effective for the most part and Tyler Toffoli's five shorthanded goals led the league, but both units struggled to find consistency.
Goaltending: B-
Again, not in Lombardi's game plan to play Jonathan Quick for 72 games. But with the defense struggling to possess the puck and defend one-goal leads, Sutter and Lombardi felt that the team would be better served with Quick, a former Conn Smythe and Jennings Trophy award winner, on most nights. He still won 36 games and his 156 goals allowed was the fifth-best mark in the league, but moving forward the Kings will need to either further develop Martin Jones and J.F. Berube, because the workload placed on the 29-year-old Quick over the last four seasons has been incredibly heavy.
Intangibles: B-
Overtimes, shootouts and poor road records all played key roles in the Kings' demise. But Lombardi thinks that the emotions were never where they should be. The dressing room was a veritable roller coaster as they dealt with injuries to top players, the Voynov circus and a camera crew following their every move as they searched for answers about why their own game wasn't working. But give credit where it's due, because never at any point in the season did the team give up. Lombardi summed it up perfectly: Once they got the car started, they ran out of gas.
Coaching: B-
Sutter continued to go with the Kings' tried and true game, even when it wasn't working. But he trusted that the system would continue to excel as it had before, despite the fact that the game seems to have suddenly evolved in a way that leaves the Kings behind. Sometimes the result wasn't good, as was the case with "Trash Can Gate 2015", but sometimes he was able to get the most of out of the players he had while juggling the myriad of injuries and personnel issues. Sutter was demanding with young players like Pearson, Toffoli, Jones, Kyle Clifford and Jordan Nolan, but it made them better players.
Final Grade: C+
The core of the team is in place, but the role players of Cups past are aging and some of them, possibly on their way out. It might be time to infuse the team with some more of the youth from one of the top development systems in the league. But the game is changing speeds, so to speak, and although the Kings aren't ready to completely abandon their defensive foundation, they failed to adjust this season and will need to learn from that next.
