The Los Angeles Kings Are Back In The Playoff Mix
By Jim Lynch
The Los Angeles Kings had a quick turnaround from their rebuild. Their last trip to the playoffs came in 2018 under then-head coach John Stevens. Since then the team has missed the playoffs three years in a row finishing near the bottom of the standings in their division, this year offers a different opportunity.
The Kings are one of a few teams to miss the playoffs a year after winning a championship. In 2014-15 they missed the playoffs after winning their second championship in three seasons. Now they find themselves looking to get back into the playoffs and be more consistent.
The Kings have rebuilt on the fly rather quickly and have a good mix of veteran leadership from their previous championship, young talent ready to take the next step, and some assets they acquired through signings or trades that can be a big piece of the future plans in Los Angeles.
The Kings have quickly become one of the better teams in the Pacific Division, in part due to the downfall of some of the other teams like the Flames and Oilers who took major missteps after strong starts on the season.
The Kings look like they could be back in the postseason for the first time since 2018 and if that is the case they are going to be fun to watch.
What a great mix of talent the Kings have, they still have their past champions like Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick, then mix in some big trades and signings like Phillip Danault, Viktor Arvidsson, Alex Iafallo, and many others and this group has been built rather nicely. That isn’t even mentioning all the players they have drafted that are going to be making big names for themselves in the next few years.
The Kings look like they could finally get back into the postseason and at least get the ball rolling on contending again. While they shouldn’t be expected to make a splash at the deadline or go all-in by any means, they do have the groundwork in place to be successful down the line, and who knows anything can happen once the playoffs begin.