Los Angeles Kings preview: Anze Kopitar leads aging LA Kings squad
Weaknesses
Scoring Depth
Outside of their top line, the Kings struggled to score goals last season. Kopitar (35 goals) and Brown (28 goals) combined for a shade over 25 percent of their total goals. Toffoli was the only other forward who scored at least 20 goals. If you exclude Carter (who only played in 27 games), just six of their regular forwards scored at least 10 goals. That’s not going to cut it.
Obviously, the injury to Carter was a pretty big factor in t his. But it just further exposes how shallow the Kings truly are when it comes to scoring depth. They only scored three goals in four games against the Knights in the postseason. That alone tells you how alarming their lack of scoring is.
Adding Kovalchuk should help. If Valardi is healthy, he should definitely be a contributor. However, even the most optimistic Kings fan has to be concerned about their offense if they’re relying on a 35-year-old forward and an unproven (at least in the NHL) prospect to turn the tables.
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Defensive Depth
If Martinez rebounds, the Kings will be fine. They’ll have two very solid pairings, which is good enough. No matter what their third pairing looks like, it should be able to handle sheltered minutes. But if Martinez doesn’t bounce back, the Kings need to explore every option when it comes to upgrading their blueline.