Our countdown to the 2016-17 season continues, with 27 days to go.
As much as Matt Greene and Jarret Stoll have contributed to the Los Angeles Kings in the eight years since they were traded from Edmonton, there was one unquestioned positive from the absence of both guys from the lineup last year. Both Greene and Stoll are… shall we say… penalty extraordinaires. With neither of them around to take trips to the box, who was going to accept the unfortunate mantle of LA’s leading penalty-taker? Brayden McNabb did so, emphatically.
McNabb took 27 penalties in 2015-16 at even strength and 35 overall, and both totals were far and away the most on the Kings. In fact, since Greene and Stoll arrived in 2007-08, the only players with more penalties in a season were Greene and Raitis Ivanans (twice).
Here are the top ten in overall penalties for LA last year.
If you’re placing bets who will lead the team in penalties next year, McNabb — who will have every chance to play top-four-type minutes all year long — is probably a safe bet.