L.A. Kings offseason storylines: What did they learn? What moves might be made?

Injured players generally don’t converse at exit interviews with the media, so really don’t rely on the standard genuine observations from Drew Doughty when the Kings make gamers and workers offered on Monday.

(The hope is that Doughty does converse. It seriously is my favorite job interview on break-up days.)

But, seriously, there now has been a Doughty-type, sending-a-concept instant, not extended right after the Kings had been eliminated in the 1st spherical by the Oilers in Sport 7 on Saturday night.

It rapidly came from Kings mentor Todd McLellan, who was emphatic about the upcoming, expressing, “Next yr, starting tomorrow is heading to be 1 challenging yr based on the working experience that I have.

“They will be informed that. There is a whole lot of escalating up that some of them want to do and they can do it. And they will do it.”

The Kings produced unanticipated and extraordinary strides — a 99-position normal period and coming within just a activity of achieving the next round. But each time a crew can make unpredicted and remarkable strides, portion of the challenge is not backsliding, digging in and holding the momentum heading.

Frequently, it finishes up going the other way. That is what transpired to McLellan at his past coaching end, in Edmonton. The Oilers appeared poised for success following their 103-issue period in 2016-17 and their run into the 2nd spherical. As an alternative, they slid back again to sixth in the Pacific and completed with 78 details the subsequent year.

It is an crucial cautionary tale for the Kings.

The competition in the Pacific Division will likely be more durable this future season and the Kings will have to come across a way to at least be as great as they were in 2021-22.

In this article we go with our 1st of several offseason primers, now that up coming yr has started today:

Crowded property on the ideal facet on defense

How do the Kings get the job done by the log jam on that aspect?

It could be considered as a challenge but it truly is not at all. As an alternative, it should really be framed as an chance.

They should really have a wholesome Doughty and Sean Walker coming again next year, as well as a crowded pipeline of youngsters, beginning with 2021 very first-spherical draft decide Brandt Clarke.

Of program, they simply cannot hold them all, enable alone enjoy them all.

The correct side of the defense is an area in which plenty of NHL teams have plenty of holes. There will be some alternatives to offer possibly an founded NHL player or component with a single of the pieces in the pipeline.

Probably they will find a resolution on the left side by flipping a participant from the ideal side.

Maintaining Edler or Maatta, and the Chychrun likelihood

I really do not feel you can retain both of those Alex Edler and Olli Maatta. Both gamers are on expiring contracts.

Definitely, the Kings have to have to upgrade the still left aspect. They acquired a whole lot out of Edler, primarily when Edler was healthier and especially when Maatta received into the rhythm of the time and the firm.

It’s worth checking out bringing back again one of them on a limited-phrase offer. Maatta has been close to so prolonged that you fail to remember that he is only 27, the exact age as Matt Roy, a yr more youthful than Troy Stecher and nine several years more youthful than Edler.

What they do also depends on how intense the Kings are in filling the gaps on the still left side. If they opt to go after Jakob Chychrun and it would expense, say, a Tobias Bjornfot (and others), the Kings may possibly want to think about bringing either Edler or Maatta back again.

What we figured out about…

Andreas Athanasiou: The Kings figured out what other groups have discovered. He has a large amount of money of talent but is inclined to making blunders. They can almost certainly obtain an up grade there. In phrases of how they like to engage in, with a structured systemic solution, it is tricky for a dude like Athanasiou to match into that.

Carl Grundstrom: On the optimistic facet, Grundstrom proven himself as a major-9 forward. He was 1 of the enjoyable surprises of the playoffs.

The playoffs advised the Kings that they were much better off with a Grundstrom in those circumstances since he competes hard and plays the video game intelligently. Which is the sort of participant, who happens to be a pending RFA, who thrives in the program McLellan has put in.

Viktor Arvidsson: There need to be some clarity about the Arvidsson harm in the coming times but a wholesome Arvidsson would reunite the productive next line centered by Phillip Danault subsequent time. The Kings realized what they experienced with him in the lineup, but his absence versus the Oilers drove the issue property even far more.

Tobias Bjornfot: Bjornfot slipped in the depth chart and correct out of the lineup. If you had predicted this growth, even in the next fifty percent of the year, it would have been a shock.

Despite 106 career games – like 70 in this past regular season – he was a healthier scratch in the initially round. It’s simple to overlook that he is truly youthful (21), but this future schooling camp will be an essential test.

The playoffs weren’t the time for on-the-work teaching, but Oct and November could be the time when he tries to get back again on track.

Goaltending: Portion of what was acquired was truly troubling on the goaltending front, thinking about that Cal Petersen’s three-12 months, $15-million deal extension kicks in this upcoming year. Petersen begun the Kings’ time opener and was specified the probability to assert himself as the starter.

But…

Petersen may well have been handed the keys to the car, but Jonathan Fast snapped them right back again.

When it received down to the online games that mattered, it was obvious that Quick was outplaying him by a wide margin. Petersen has to be better than he was this year to justify the agreement extension he signed.

Quick, meanwhile, experienced one particular of the ideal performances in new many years by a losing goalie in a playoff activity in Match 7. Without having his excellence, the Kings could possibly have lost 7-.

Fast is 36 and plenty of goalies have thrived in that age 35-to-40 window. The hope is that he can manage that level and prevent the major injuries that have impacted him in the past.

Cap area and the Brown impression

From the pure company facet of it, the actuality that $5.875 million will come off the books for a forward (Dustin Brown) who was in the base six is an extremely precious device for the group.

It is magical for the figures fellas. Individuals are the sorts of factors – when you are running the company of the team – that make a massive change, especially when they will require to shell out up for pending RFA Adrian Kempe, who experienced a breakout season with 35 ambitions and 54 details.

For $5.8 million, you can dip into the market and land an influence player. They really should be able to substitute a base-6 ahead with a prime-6 ahead basically with the cash that is freed up.

In addition to Kempe, the other most vital RFA gamers (but not all) are defensemen Sean Durzi and Mikey Anderson and forwards Gabriel Vilardi and Grundstrom.

In summary

They’ve acquired good items and there is rationale for careful optimism. They can selectively concentrate on, by means of trade, a doable enhance on the left side and can focus on, by means of totally free company, a single a lot more variance-maker up entrance.

Not only do they have the organizational assets to make the trade but they also have the economical adaptability to make the additions.

(Image of Olli Maatta and the Oilers’ Derek Ryan: Codie McLachlan / Getty Photos)