After missing the playoffs for two of the last three seasons, the Los Angeles Kings made the difficult call of cutting loose Darryl Sutter from his duties as head coach. Sutter’s style of coaching and game schemes earned two Stanley Cups in LA but the rest of the Pacific Division evolved while the Kings stayed with the same style of play with the same players.
Problem is those same players have aged and the competition has gotten younger by making the decisions on player development, acquisition and dispersal.
The Kings ownership also jettisoned Dean Lombardi as their general manager.
That was not as difficult a decision as Sutter might have been given some questionable trades including Jarome Iginla this season. Talented yes, but at 40-years of age he added veteran leadership and ability but hardly the speed needed to compete in the division.
Add the cap hit of Dustin Brown’s contract and the Kings were left with little choice but to shed Lombardi.
John Stevens was promoted from assistant coach to head coach after Sutter’s departure.
Last week, Stevens hied Pierre Turgeon as assistant coach.
“Pierre had great success as a player and has a tremendous hockey background on the whole. He is a person who brings a lot of energy, passion and insight to the job along with a great deal of enthusiasm about the game,” Stevens said in a team press release. “We look forward to him adding to our team, and to our staff, a real team perspective from a person who was a high-end player, especially in the offensive zone.
“We have talked a lot during the process of building a coaching staff regarding the qualities of the people we wanted to bring aboard. We feel strongly that Pierre will help compliment myself, Dave Lowry, Don Nachbaur and Bill Ranford and we are together looking forward to the start of the season.”
This is Turgeon’s first coaching position.
The Kings managed the signing of free agent Mike Cammalleri away from the New Jersey Devils. His 31 points in 61 games last season will do little to help the Kings get past younger and faster teams in the Pacific.
What Los Angeles needs to hope for is that the stable of talent on the bench had a bad season in 2016-17 and they will return more motivated this coming campaign.
Anze Kopitar struggled to register 52 points last year and his contract is far too large, with too many years left on it for just 52 points.
Jeff Carter was the go-to player for the Kings last season and while he responded, the Kings need others to step up their game including Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson.
Drew Doughty will be as consistent as ever but LA did little to support their core group.
New general manager Rob Blake will be looked upon by ownership and fans to find a path to post season success this year.
If Jonathan Quick can stay healthy and free agent Darcy Kuemper can provide meaningful relief to Quick over the season then the nets will be fine for LA.
Rewards to players who won two Cups for the Kings have come back to haunt the club now and for the foreseeable future. What the Kings might consider is shedding of cap-choking salaries like Kopitar and Brown.
The years of intimidation through their size and adequate speed was enough to win those Stanley Cups but that was then and this is now. The Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Arizona Coyotes are younger, faster and hungrier. The Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks will still be roadblocks to post season success and if the Vancouver Canucks can find a way out of the desert the Kings will find themselves looking up at the rest of the Pacific Division this coming April 2018.
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