NHL Power Rankings: St. Louis Blues start 2019-20 season on top

30. Los Angeles Kings

As bad as the Senators are, the Los Angeles Kings aren’t much better. The only thing keeping them out of dead last is the hope of some of their best players bouncing back.

Let’s not beat around the bush – Drew Doughty had an awful season. He has very high standards as an annual Norris Trophy candidate and he didn’t come remotely close to meeting them. Doughty is entering the first year of his new deal that makes him the second-highest-paid defenseman in the NHL. The Kings better hope he bounces back. Nay, they need him to bounce back. Otherwise, the Kings could be stuck with yet another bad contract.

Anze Kopitar saw his usually consistently strong numbers decline as well. His age makes his decline even more worrisome. Kopitar has a good resume, so a bounce-back season isn’t out of the question. But how much can he bounce back at this point?

The Kings at least have good goaltending to look forward to. Jack Campbell is among the league’s best backup goalies and is deserving of a longer look to see if he can be a starter. Unfortunately, Jonathan Quick is in his way.

LA is stuck with a lot of bad deals, but their prospect system is quickly improving. A high draft pick in 2020 should propel them into the top five prospect pools.