Yeah, we've clearly improved from last year but it's just too bad Kopitar couldn't be healthy. Willie Mitchell is a clear upgrade over O'Donnell and Martinez is an upgrade over Randy Jones. One year older for guys like Doughty, Johnson, Simmonds. Clifford > Modin; Frolov > Ponikarovsky. Like I said, it's just really too bad Kopitar was hurt because we could've gone far. We went to 6 games vs a healthy Sharks lineup and 3 of their Wins were in OT, go figure.
Yeah, I'm being positive, I just slept on the loss and I'm feeling good about our future.
It was just too much to lose Kopitar and not have any healthy centers (Loktionov) to slot in his place. At 100% health, there is no question that this year's team was better than last.
Hell, duct tape and spit got this year's team to game 6 in round 1.
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"In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened." - Vin Scully being clairvoyant in 1988.
The Los Angeles Kings - 2012 Stanley Cup Champions
This year's team was a lot better and leaves be optimistic for next year. We have so many promising young players, and with our roster improvements, we should be able to advance as long as no mythic plague attacks this team again.
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"It has not been a good day. I lost my glasses early this morning and I had to go buy a pair of 79 dollar reading glasses today. 79 bucks. You can literally get them at Costco, three-for-20." - Darryl Sutter's response to going up 2-0 in the series.
... It's six of one and a half dozen of the other when talking about the 09-10 and 10-11 Kings. They're essentially even; if there is an edge, it goes to the 09-10 team because they had a better record (36-28-18 in 09-10, 36-34-12 in 10-11) and a better goal differential (+20 in 09-10, +13 in 10-11).
Better in 10-11: Kopitar, Williams, Quick, Drewiske
Better in 09-10: Smyth, Stoll, Johnson, Doughty, Simmonds, Handzus, Richardson, Parse
About the same: Brown, Scuderi, Greene
Edge to 10-11 team: Bernier > Ersberg, Martinez > Jones, Mitchell > O'Donnell
Edge to 09-10 team: Frolov > Ponikarovsky
Add in Clifford and Lewis for the 10-11 team, and that pretty much evens things up. If you want to include little things like late-season moves, I think Modin > Penner, so that gives a bit more to the 09-10 team. The 09-10 team had a good PP but a poor PK, the 10-11 team was the reverse. I'm not going to pay much mind to Ivanans or Westgarth, they're both useless as hockey players. If you want to say Westgarth is less useless than Ivanans, good for you.
Doughty and Johnson were much better in the 09-10 playoffs. Offense is a wash as we had trouble scoring even strength in both years. Quick was better this year, but I'd still give the edge to 09-10 due to the game-changers on defense stepping up big.
