Los Angeles Kings: 3 Keys to Success in 2017-18
By Ian Reid
The Los Angeles Kings want to prove they are still a contender in the Pacific Division. These are three keys to their success in 2017-18.
The Los Angeles Kings find themselves trending down in a division where many teams seem to be trending up. The question is if they can slow that decline enough to be a playoff team in the Pacific Division. There are many questions surrounding this team going into the 2017-18 season.
With new management and a new coach, it will be interesting to see how they can alter their apparent trajectory with most of the same faces returning. If the Kings want to have success this season, they’ll need a variety of people to come through.
Here are their three keys to success going into the 2017-18 season.
1. John Stevens
John Stevens has a pretty lengthy NHL coaching history. He started out with the Philadelphia Flyers AHL affiliate before becoming the coach of the NHL Club. After his dismissal from his duties with the flyers, he would join the LA Kings coaching staff under Terry Murray in 2010.
When Murray was fired later that year he was the interim head-coach until the hiring of Darryl Sutter. He would be promoted to associate coach of the team in 2014 serving in that position until Sutter was fired after the Kings missed the playoffs.
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Sutter’s relationship with his player had turned rocky near the end with the team locking him out of the dressing room. In the NHL coaches are hired to be fired. It is not uncommon for a new coach to come in and turn a team around.
Look no further than Darryl Sutter himself or Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh. The challenge for Stevens is that he is not a new voice in the room. As associate coach, he would have played a large role in systems and communication with the players.
His task will be double, first to bring fresh ideas into the locker room. The second will be demanding the respect of a group that knows what he is about.
Rob Blake has done a lot of good things this summer, but not bringing in a fresh voice may be his most interesting. How the Kings start the season will be an early reflection on the GM’s early work.
2. Tyler Toffoli’s Revival
Tyler Toffoli had a season to forget in 2016-17. The 25 year old forward played in just 63 games last season. Toffoli scored 16 goals and had 18 assists for 34 points. It was his worst output since 2013-14.
There are a lot of reasons to believe that he can return to being one of the teams best scorers in 2017-18. First his shooting percentage last year was only 9.7 percent. It is also very likely that he was playing through injury before having knee surgery in late April.
Expected to be 100 percent healthy by camp, there is no reason Toffoli should not hit the 30 goal mark and be the 50-60 point player he has been in recent years. As one of the key offensive pieces for the Kings, he will be relied on heavily if they are expected to contend.
3. Secondary Scoring
Most expect that Anze Kopitar will have a rebound season this year. That combined with a resurgent Toffoli should give the Kings enough primary scoring. The problem is that the offense from the primary offense alone won’t be enough. The Kings are going to need secondary scoring if they are to be successful. The first place they will need secondary scoring from is their bottom six. Figuring out how to get more from players like Dustin Brown and Nick Shore.
They will also need help from their defense. Now some might disagree with this assessment because they seem to still get their points. While they will definitely contribute especially on the power play, they will have problems with their transition game. While Drew Doughty is the obvious exception to this he can’t do it alone. This puts extra pressure on the forwards to carry the puck or dump and chase.
The Kings are in decline, this is obvious but they don’t need as much to go right to at least be a playoff contender in the Pacific Division. Any team that looks too far beyond the Kings could be making a big mistake.