Los Angeles Kings Playoff Chances Come Down to Thursday
By Frank Walker
The Los Angeles Kings playoff chances comes down to Thursday night. The team travels to Calgary to play the Flames. For the last few seasons the Kings have been prone to living on the edge when it came to their playoff chances. But this season threatens to put a much earlier end than anticipated on the Kings’ attempt to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
Their season now boils down to a Thursday night matchup in Calgary. The Kings two game skid has led them to needing a regulation win against the Flames for their playoff chances to stay intact. While a loss wouldn’t necessarily eliminate the Kings they would be scoreboard watching as a Winnipeg Jets win, the Jets Thursday game happens concurrently to the Kings, with a Kings loss would eliminate them.
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How did the Los Angeles Kings reach this state? Last year they were raising Lord Stanley’s Cup and this year they are one game away from missing out on the playoffs entirely.
Age is catching up with the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings have played a lot of hockey; over 100 games each year for the last three seasons. This issue of general fatigue is exacerbated by the team’s age. While their average, 27.063 years, is a mid-range age in the league take a look at some of their top contributors. Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Marian Gaborik, Justin Williams, and Jarret Stoll are all over thirty. The team does have some younger players who bring quality to the line-up. Drew Doughty, 25, Anze Kopitar, 27, and Tyler Toffoli, 22, are just a few of the younger players who shore up the Kings ability to remain a competitive team for years to come. The issue is that the top line players, the standard bearers and the leaders of the Los Angeles Kings, are starting to wear down under the grind of an 82 game season.
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Obviously anything could happen once the playoffs start, but if the Los Angeles Kings do make it, their recent play indicates that they would be an easier out for either the Anaheim Ducks or St. Louis Blues than in previous years. The core of this team is still strong and talented. Most of them are signed through at least the 2016 season. If the Kings want this core to have one or two more shots at the Stanley Cup before their window closes a year out of the playoffs to rest may be the best thing for them.
Take one off season to allow players to fully heal and rest before training camp. Let the Salva Voynov situation reach a conclusion so that the team can figure out how to fill the hole at defense that situation has created. Enjoy the infusion to the prospect pool that a lottery pick creates. If the Kings can take advantage of a full off season they will be back and ready to make another run next year.