After missing the playoffs following the 2016-17 regular season, the Los Angeles Kings cleaned house and brought in John Stevens as head coach.
The expectations for this past season were not too high nor were they too low.
With that in mind, the Kings performed well, made the playoffs and were promptly swept 
aside by the Vegas Golden Knights in the opening round.
The Kings’ success in the past was a result of secondary scoring and brute force. But over the last few seasons age has caught up with the lineup, as it always does.
But a key injury was really the exacerbating issue for LA when Jeff Carter went down in game six of the regular season with an ankle injury. He missed the next 55 games and iced a total of 27 games for the Kings.
In years past, Carter was the ubiquitous skater on the scoresheet. Last season Carter potted 13 goals om his brief stint in the lineup.
Anze Kopitar stepped up his game for LA and amassed 92 points on the season with 35 goals.
Dustin Brown recovered his scoring touch as well this past season but the rest of the cast in LA was only adequate. Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson and Kyle Clifford have been described as average for the 2017-18 season.
That drop in productivity was acute in the playoffs where the Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury posted remarkable numbers in the Vegas’ net against an anemic offense.
It was not all doom and gloom for LA as their penalty killing unit was number one in the NHL with an 85% kills rate; the power play was back to average at 17th in the league with a 20-4$ rating.
The limited scoring across the bench led to 237 goals scored for during the season, a 2.89 average over the season; the LA blueline is what is got the Kings to the post season with a wild card spot. They were number one in the league with 202 goals surrendered for a 2.46 average per game.
The defense is solid, the secondary scoring is limited in LA. So where do you go, where do you decide to make an addition at 20 in the Entry Draft?
The defense has been stellar but the LA blueline is graying around the edges and they need to bring up some talent through the draft this season.
There is at least one defenseman in the draft who may fit the Kings’ needs quickly. K’Andre Miller stands at 6’7″ and 207 pounds and skates for the US National Developmental Team.
Miller has been seen as a strong, powerful skater who can generate speed off his stride and can carry the puck up ice with strength.
The Kings need size and speed to get back to where they were in their Cup-winning seasons of 2012 and 2014. An intimidating presence on the ice on the blueline and down low would fit the defensive scheme of head coach Stevens.
In 22 games this past season, Miller scored four goals and 22 points and was a +13. He has room to develop his game in the defensive zone but there are qualities that fit the Kings’ philosophy of play and presence on the ice.
“With the 20th selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the Los Angeles Kings select defenseman K’Andre Miller of the US National Development Team.”
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