Centers
The Kings are solid down the middle, whether it’s Loktionov, Lewis or Richardson working the fourth line. And I still like the idea of Stoll/Loktionov/Lewis, speed speed and more speed, and 30 goals for Stoll.
Right Wing
- Justin Williams
- Dustin Brown
- Tyler Toffoli
- (Trevor Lewis)
- (Brad Richardson)
- Kevin Westgarth
- Oscar Moller
- Marc-Andre Cliche
- Linden Vey
- Brandon Kozun
I wish Moller would reconsider. Then we could have Stoll/Loktionov/Moller on the 3rd line, and Lewis could center the fourth. I have high hopes for Toffoli, but he looks too scrawny to me for this season. Vey might be closer (he’s older, for one thing). Maybe Kozun will be the new Moller. I guess we’ll get a better sense of that at development camp. In any case, RW3 and RW4 are in flux.
Left Wing
Everyone knows this is the one place the Kings would like to add. [UPDATE: they did. Simon Gagne.] But if they don’t, there are three guys — Parse, Kitsyn and Holloway — who might be able to fill the LW2 role. The problem is, Kitsyn is (as I understand it) back in Russia, intending to play out his KHL contract (and intending not to attend Kings’ camps), and Holloway is, well, he hasn’t been part of any conversation yet, at least that we’ve been privy to. That leaves Parse. I think there’s a decent chance he could flourish with Richards and Brown, but with his injury history and general lack of NHL experience, that’s an obvious gamble.
It probably makes the most sense to sign someone short term (Simon Gagne?) and wait for Toffoli and/or Kitsyn to grow into the job. I guess the dark horse there might be Kozun, who could flip to his off-wing. As far as that goes, development camp would not be too soon to blow everyone away.
Defense
- Drew Doughty
- Jack Johnson
- Rob Scuderi
- Willie Mitchell
- Matt Greene
- Alec Martinez
- Davis Drewiske
- Jake Muzzin
- Viatcheslav Voynov
- Nicolas Deslauriers
- Thomas Hickey
- Derek Forbort
- Kevin Gravel
My only concern with the defense is foot-speed vs. experience. By which I mean: Matt Greene. He’s tough and funny and he’s a veteran, but he’s slow and takes timely dumb-ass penalties. The temptation to swap him out for Muzzin is percolating, but probably it would be rash to do so. It makes more sense (if I am to be a grown-up about it) to give Muzzin another year in the AHL, after which he can fight for the vacancy left by Willie Mitchell when his contract expires. But that leaves the intriguing dogfight between Martinez, Hickey, Voynov and Deslauriers, and I think there’s at least a chance that Deslauriers blows everyone away this fall. I would love to find a way to squeeze more than one of Deslauriers, Voynov and Martinez into the line-up, but that seems unlikely. More likely, I guess, is that one or two of these guys will get dealt at some point (unless anyone thinks we can have a defensive corps of Doughty, Johnson, Deslauriers, Martinez, Voynov, Hickey and Forbort in three years — fun, but no).
Goalie
I don’t have much to say about these guys. We’re pretty much set there.
Opening Night?
Penner – Kopitar – Williams
Parse Gagne – Richards – Brown
Stoll – Loktionov – Lewis (Kozun?)
Clifford – Richardson (Lewis?) – Parse/Westgarth
Centers
The Kings are solid down the middle, whether it’s Loktionov, Lewis or Richardson working the fourth line. And I still like the idea of Stoll/Loktionov/Lewis, speed speed and more speed, and 30 goals for Stoll.
Right Wing
- Justin Williams
- Dustin Brown
- Tyler Toffoli
- (Trevor Lewis)
- (Brad Richardson)
- Kevin Westgarth
- Oscar Moller
- Marc-Andre Cliche
- Linden Vey
- Brandon Kozun
I wish Moller would reconsider. Then we could have Stoll/Loktionov/Moller on the 3rd line, and Lewis could center the fourth. I have high hopes for Toffoli, but he looks too scrawny to me for this season. Vey might be closer (he’s older, for one thing). Maybe Kozun will be the new Moller. I guess we’ll get a better sense of that at development camp. In any case, RW3 and RW4 are in flux.
Left Wing
Everyone knows this is the one place the Kings would like to add. [UPDATE: they did. Simon Gagne.] But if they don’t, there are three guys — Parse, Kitsyn and Holloway — who might be able to fill the LW2 role. The problem is, Kitsyn is (as I understand it) back in Russia, intending to play out his KHL contract (and intending not to attend Kings’ camps), and Holloway is, well, he hasn’t been part of any conversation yet, at least that we’ve been privy to. That leaves Parse. I think there’s a decent chance he could flourish with Richards and Brown, but with his injury history and general lack of NHL experience, that’s an obvious gamble.
It probably makes the most sense to sign someone short term (Simon Gagne?) and wait for Toffoli and/or Kitsyn to grow into the job. I guess the dark horse there might be Kozun, who could flip to his off-wing. As far as that goes, development camp would not be too soon to blow everyone away.
Defense
- Drew Doughty
- Jack Johnson
- Rob Scuderi
- Willie Mitchell
- Matt Greene
- Alec Martinez
- Davis Drewiske
- Jake Muzzin
- Viatcheslav Voynov
- Nicolas Deslauriers
- Thomas Hickey
- Derek Forbort
- Kevin Gravel
My only concern with the defense is foot-speed vs. experience. By which I mean: Matt Greene. He’s tough and funny and he’s a veteran, but he’s slow and takes timely dumb-ass penalties. The temptation to swap him out for Muzzin is percolating, but probably it would be rash to do so. It makes more sense (if I am to be a grown-up about it) to give Muzzin another year in the AHL, after which he can fight for the vacancy left by Willie Mitchell when his contract expires. But that leaves the intriguing dogfight between Martinez, Hickey, Voynov and Deslauriers, and I think there’s at least a chance that Deslauriers blows everyone away this fall. I would love to find a way to squeeze more than one of Deslauriers, Voynov and Martinez into the line-up, but that seems unlikely. More likely, I guess, is that one or two of these guys will get dealt at some point (unless anyone thinks we can have a defensive corps of Doughty, Johnson, Deslauriers, Martinez, Voynov, Hickey and Forbort in three years — fun, but no).
Goalie
I don’t have much to say about these guys. We’re pretty much set there.
Opening Night?
Penner – Kopitar – Williams
Parse Gagne – Richards – Brown
Stoll – Loktionov – Lewis (Kozun?)
Clifford – Richardson (Lewis?) – Parse/Westgarth