NHL
The Los Angeles Kings May Have Postponed Their Rebuild By Adding Kovalchuk
Last season, the Los Angeles Kings finished fourth in the Pacific Division and were swept out in the first round by the Division winning Vegas Golden Knights. This lead GM Rob Blake to signing a prolific scorer in Ilya Kovalchuk. The signing betters the offensive side of the Kings’ game. Blake failed to mess with the defense as the Kings were better than average defensively.
Goaltending wise, Quick is still the man and will be for many more years, so Los Angeles does not have to worry. The only question mark is depth. If anyone on the top line gets injured, who will step in and play big? If Quick cannot stay healthy, who is going to be the interim starter?
Have the Kings Gotten Better?
Yes, the Kings have gotten better on paper. On Paper. This does not always translate to being good on the ice but with the addition of Ilya Kovalchuk, the Kings are looking to get out of the first round this year. But with a goalie in Jonathon Quick, you can never count out the Kings. The only thing Los Angeles needs is for Quick to stay healthy as they do not have a solid back up behind their starter.
Let’s dive in and see what was done to better the team.
Additions
The Los Angeles Kings went out and signed Ilya Kovalchuk to a massive three-year deal worth $6.25 million annually. Many questioned this signing because of Kovalchuk’s age. Kovalchuk is 36 but plays like he is still in his 20’s. Ilya Kovalchuk played 53 games last year with the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg and scored 31 goals while adding 32 assists. With these numbers, Kovalchuk would have been second in goals and points.
Subtractions
Christian Folin was not resigned and joined the Philadelphia Flyers. Last season, Folin played in 63 games and totaled 13 points while assisting 10 times.
Torrey Mitchell played 49 games in 2017-18. In those 49 games, he scored six goals plus five assists. Andy Andreoff was a good depth forward for the Kings. Andreoff tallied nine points in his 45 games with Los Angeles last year. Tobias Rieder was acquired by the Kings last year as a rental and played in 20 games. In the 20 games, he scored four goals and added two assists.
Where the Los Angeles Kings Stand
A Net Gain of 24 is really good, especially in the Pacific Division. The addition of Kovalchuk is perfect for the Kings. He will step up on the first line as well as on the Powerplay. This will take the weight off of Anze Kopitar. The Kings do not have much depth at any position but are weakest at goaltending. They have Jonathon Quick and that is about it. Their back up is either going to be Jack Campbell or Petr Budaj. Both are not too great but Budaj can carry the team for a few games.
The Los Angeles Kings will likely finish third in the Pacific Division this year and if they get swept again in the first round, it may be time for a rebuild.
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Photo Credit
Photo Courtesy of Lulu
