We will never know. It is frustrating that we are one of the few, in the modern era, to bring back every single roster player, and of course the season is locked out...
__________________
"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.
We will never know. It is frustrating that we are one of the few, in the modern era, to bring back every single roster player, and of course the season is locked out...
None of the SC teams did as good of a job keeping every single player on the team, other than maybe the Bruins. With both of these teams you have to wonder if the same level of hunger will still be there come next playoffs.
Obviously Hockey is one of the hardest sports for teams to repeat. Rarely ever happens. And certainly the Kings were a surprise Cup winner... struggled pretty much all season long, barely squeaked in, then rode a hot goalie all the way to the cup.
It's funny... your description is so different from mine. I view them as a stacked team that was picked by many to win their division before the season even started. They underperformed all season until the acquisition of key players and then steamrolled everything in their way by playing at or slightly above their talent level.
The only surprise in them winning was that they woke up at the right time, not that they actually won. Even if you replace Quick with a goalie like Howard, they still would have won.
That said... I doubt they'll repeat. Too much parity.
But whether we're talking shortened season or next season, their chances go up quite a bit. They have pretty much kept their roster intact and this lockout is giving those guys extra time to recuperate from what was supposed to be a short off season.
LMAO what? At least try and not show an ounce of bias here. Do I think the Kings will repeat? No, but to say that Quick needs to have a Vezina caliber season to even MAKE the playoffs when they've been there the last 3 seasons? Enjoy shining your President's Trophy from last season.
It's ok if you disagree. I'm not why you need to make it about something else.
It's funny... your description is so different from mine. I view them as a stacked team that was picked by many to win their division before the season even started. They underperformed all season until the acquisition of key players and then steamrolled everything in their way by playing at or slightly above their talent level.
The only surprise in them winning was that they woke up at the right time, not that they actually won. Even if you replace Quick with a goalie like Howard, they still would have won.
That said... I doubt they'll repeat. Too much parity.
I think you're underestimating the significance Quick, their Conn Smythe-winning goaltender, had.
I give them a 1 in 30 chance to winning the cup. The nu:NHL is proving that anything can happen. Islanders could go on a 4 year cup run, though unlikely, it could happen... just like the Kings could win again.
This might be funny, but I actually forgot who won the cup until I saw this thread. Lol
Can they? I guess. Will they? I'd bet money that they don't.
On your last question of are they better suited to repeat than recent winners; I say no. Boston was/is a better team than LA. The Kings' run was a pretty much a miracle.
boston was not better they had to win 3 game 7's. LA on the other hand looked incredible for 4 months straight and thats no fluke
Will they? If Quick picks up where he left off and the Kings continue to have 3 solid scoring lines like last season then I think this will be an easy playoffs for them again.
They have pretty much kept their roster intact and this lockout is giving those guys extra time to recuperate from what was supposed to be a short off season.
Yep, they benefit a ton from avoiding the Stanley Cup hangover.
In today's NHL, everything has to go right for a team, if they want to win. No one is that much more dominant than any other contender that they can will themselves to win. I don't think Los Angeles is that much better than Vancouver, Pittsburgh, New York, Boston, St. Louis, etc. that they're the clear favourites to win the cup again this year.
I think you're underestimating the significance Quick, their Conn Smythe-winning goaltender, had.
Considering you could make a solid case for the Conn Smyth to 3-4 players on the team... not really. Yeah, he was great but he usually didn't need to be. The Kings only allowed 30+ shots 5 times in 20 games!
(and for what it's worth, I thought he deserved the Vezina over Lundqvist... so it's not like I think he sucks)
I'd much rather see Vancouver or St. Louis win a cup. Their fans deserve to finally see their franchises drink from the holy grail. Buffalo too (even though it's not likely, for a few years).
I don't care how good your team is, to have a chance in the playoffs you need to be bringing the intensity. The Kings have the roster and experience to do it - it's the hunger to win that's going to be difficult to duplicate. The reason they made the western conference look downright silly is they outworked each team they faced. Vancouver was closest to them in this regard, but the other two series weren't even close.
It's rare that a team can bring things up to that level 2 years in a row. As a Kings fan I think they can, but the realist in me doesn't expect it.
Considering you could make a solid case for the Conn Smyth to 3-4 players on the team... not really. Yeah, he was great but he usually didn't need to be. The Kings only allowed 30+ shots 5 times in 20 games!
(and for what it's worth, I thought he deserved the Vezina over Lundqvist... so it's not like I think he sucks)
Could you? Which other players were considered "strong cases"? Because, from what I saw, Quick was the big favorite all the way.
There is a chance but unlike last year, this year (or whenever the next season finally starts) they have a target on their backs with every team gunning for them.
They have as good a chance as any team since the Wings repeated, due to several factors. They won in only 20 games with 1 week off between rounds, have extended time off due to the lockout and have the entire roster back, with all core players signed long term. (They're also 8 million unde the current cap and that will decrease further as they players whose contracts wll be expired next june)
Granted, it is the hardest trophy to compete for and repeating is no easy task. And staying healthy is a huge part of that. For those who fall back on the 'they were an 8th seed who got hot' I would disagree.
A diffrence one point would have given them the division and 3rd in the conferece. That makes them the team seeded eighth, rather than an 8th seed, i.e. a team that was talent wise and points wise, well below their competition.
They went 29-9-3 in their last 41 games, that's not hot, that's elite. From Mar 1 on, they were the second hightest scoring team in the league with the lowest goals allowed. THey went up 3-0 in all 4 rounds, which is due to how skilled they are and how well they were coached.
However, most naysayers might not have seen every game and seen the huge difference Sutter made. I think he saw how damaged this team was under Murray and took a velvet touch in correcting that , giving them their confidence back, esp Doughty, huge diffrence in his play. Sutter's intensity gave this team an identity and once Carter came over and the 3rd/4th liners slotted back to where they belonged, they had a true top 6 and played up to potential (they didn't 'get hot' for the playoffs as those who didn't see them all year might think). Carter's presence made coaches have to think on who to cover, him or Kopi and that gave the Kings an increase in puck possession time in the offensive zone and lead to more scoring chances. Had he not bruised his foot at the end of the year, he would have been more impactful.
Also, Richards was off a great start 11 G and 20 points in 24 games, ranked top 5 for forward defensively at the quarter season mark. His reg. season ended Dec 1 with a head injury, something his coach said he was well aware of the extent of the injury when he was hired and that Richards didn't 'start' to recover fully until the end of March. That cost the Kings wins in Jan/Feb and thru most of March.
The 30 goals allowed in 20 playoff games is great, but they didn't allow many all year, were 2nd in that catagory, that will only get better with Voynov being more experieced.
Quick didn't 'hot' in the playoffs as some would state, he was consistant with stellar play from Oct thru June. Right now, he's one of the top 3 goalies in the game and has shown he plays well under pressure. There's no reason to think he won't continue to play strong.
A lot of those playoffs wins were due to how strong the team played in front of him. The D in front of him was outstanding ,they put a wall up, played mean , hit hard and seldom allowed 2nd chances. They clear the puck quickly, with one well timed lead pass to F1. A lot of goalies who get hot only in the playoffs have to 'steal' most of the wins, he didn't. And the confidence that team had in front of him, helped him as well.
They have 4 lines of forwards who play defensively responsible and can shut down just abouit any line you put against them. A full year under Sutter with the top 3 lines they have now should be a continuation of what they did in the playoffs.
There aren't too many teams in the West who can beat the Kings 4 out of 7, with as well as they are stacked from the goal out and esp. down the middle. Strength down the niddle is a huge factor in any teams playoff sucess. And they aren't many teams in the league that beat what Kopi and Richards do , as Pierre LeBrun statied post Vancouver series, 'nobody has centers that dominate 200 feet of hockey as well as Richards and Koptar do'.
IF they stay healthy, Sutter will keep them focused and that intensity he brings should keep them in the mix to get back to the SCF and win. I'd love to see them take on the Bruins , who I think will have a great year. Repeating the Cup -Hard yes, a challenge, absolutely, but definetaly a good possibilty
yeah, the #1, 2, and 3 seeds in the west (1st time in NHL history). One of which was the Presidents' trophy winner.
