Kings think they have identified what they have been missing for 3 years

[sureLoss]

Interesting take (yes article is a bit old):

http://mayorsmanor.com/2017/04/probl...r-three-years/

Since 2014, coming off a run that included two Stanley Cup parades in three years, the Los Angeles Kings have been plagued with constant questions surrounding what’s gone wrong. Theories have ranged from the loss of defenseman Slava Voynov to bad trades, from injuries to bad contracts, from a coach unwilling (or unable) to change his approach to a General Manager refusing to adapt his belief system. It’s no secret that fans have also thrown blame at Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Jake Muzzin, and a myriad of other players. Yet, nobody actually had the definitive answer, nor a solution.

Then, everything changed in Calgary on March 19, 2017.

It became even more clear 10 days later, against that same Flames team.
A light switch was flipped on. Clouds parted. Answers were now obvious.
And the worst part about this revelation is it was in front of everyone the entire time. Perhaps it was a secret that people knew and didn’t talk about… or it was just missed, until last month.

“It sure was,” said new General Manager, Rob Blake, when we asked if the Drew Doughty-Matthew Tkachuk incident was as eye-opening for him as it was for us. “I don’t know if we handled that exactly right. Kyle Clifford did a tremendous job in warm-ups. I’m just not sure we handled it ideally the first 10 or 15 minutes of that game, and then you saw the situation with Jarome Iginla. Here’s a guy that has played 1,500 NHL games; he knew exactly what to do in the situation. And from that point on, the game kind of turned. You saw the emotion in that, [something] we hoped would drag in more and more throughout the season. [However, there has been] a turnover of some pretty key players in our organization and now we have to establish that.”
He’s right. The 2016-17 Kings largely lacked a key ingredient that has actually been absent for a few years. What was it exactly, you ask?

“When you look at our teams that won, we were so surrounded by incredible leadership,” noted Kings Assistant GM Mike Futa. “If you think about it, they were borderline Hall of Fame leaders – Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll, Matt Greene. And Justin Williams, that’s another level or form of grit. The amount of ‘pack mentality’ that we had, as far as team toughness, it was incredible… And it was brought to a clear head in that Calgary game. Being out of the playoffs aside, or where we were in the standings, to see the way that all unfolded kind of brought more of a focus on what was missing. When Jarome Iginla, who had only been part of our family for three or four weeks, is the guy that answered the bell the way our entire 2012-2014 teams would normally answer the bell for each other, there’s a concern.”

There is more to the article, but the gist is that while the core of the team largely remained the same, current management now feels that they lost some key leadership as the expendable non-core players were removed.

“I agree,” remarked Yannetti. “As management, now you have to bring in the right guys. A bridge player can be a bridge leader. A bridge player can be the guy who brings out the guy in Kopitar, Doughty, Toffoli, and Carter. We have to fix that chemistry. The players have to fix that chemistry and management has to fix the chemistry. I don’t think we are as far away as people think we are; but, as an organization, we need to make adjustments to give us the best possible chance to accelerate that process. I think it’ there, I think just needs to be — you have a bunch of chemicals and you don’t quite have the catalyzing agent. I’m not going to sit here and say I have all the answers. I don’t know what they catalyzing agent will be. I know it’s there, and that’s our job, everybody’s job, to find out what the final ingredient is.”

[GranteedEV]

Slava Voynov.

[RockOnRoberts]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Slava Voynov.

He's never been one to shy away from physical contact

[mile]

As management, now you have to bring in the right guys. A bridge player can be a bridge leader. A bridge player can be the guy who brings out the guy in Kopitar, Doughty, Toffoli, and Carter. We have to fix that chemistry. The players have to fix that chemistry and management has to fix the chemistry.

Troy Brouwer can be that guy for you

[sempuki]

Remarkable coincidence; given new management just took over...

[sempuki]

Originally Posted by RockOnRoberts

He's never been one to shy away from physical contact

#TooSoon

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by mile

Troy Brouwer can be that guy for you

I know the mockery of Brouwer from a statistical standpoint (...and on-ice standpoint) is more than warranted, but Brouwer has been cited a few times already this summer as being important to the locker room and helping the team bond. So even in his futility, he's apparently served quite a useful purpose. Of course the hope would be that you can fulfill that need with useful on-ice talent, but it would seem we couldn't - so we now have Brouwer.

[Azhouse]

So does this mean that they are re-signing Iggy?

[iamca]

Self serving tripe...hope they are a 18-22 team for awhile.

[StrykerSteve]

When you look at our teams that won, we were so surrounded by incredible leadership,” noted Kings Assistant GM Mike Futa. “If you think about it, they were borderline Hall of Fame leaders – Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll, Matt Greene.

... what?

[btimbit]

Still love that reverse hit by Tkachuk. Well, the idea of it at least, maybe aim lower next time Matt

[Johnny Rotten]

noted Kings Assistant GM Mike Futa. “If you think about it, they were borderline Hall of Fame leaders – Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll, Matt Greene. And Justin Williams, that’s another level or form of grit.

Richards, Stoll, and Greene were good, but borderline hall-of-famers? Not even Williams is a borderline hall-of-famers.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Johnny Rotten

noted Kings Assistant GM Mike Futa. “If you think about it, they were borderline Hall of Fame leaders – Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll, Matt Greene. And Justin Williams, that’s another level or form of grit.

Richards, Stoll, and Greene were good, but borderline hall-of-famers? Not even Williams is a borderline hall-of-famers.

think he was saying their leadership was near hall of fame level, not their abilities as players.

[btimbit]

To be fair he didn't say which hall of fame

[Parallex]

... here's a better theory. Your team is too old and you don't score enough goals.

[memphusk]

Any player that sticks up for their teammates and is willing to grind it out is in my hall of fame.

[Roof-Daddy]

I don't think they were ever a juggernaut team, now that you look back on it.

An above average team that was able to catch fire in the playoffs a couple times. I mean they were barely cracking 100 points in those championship seasons.

They weren't like the Pens or Hawks, who would routinely challenge for Presidents trophies.

They had a mojo in the playoff's for sure, for 3 straight seasons. But they didn't have to fall very far to go from a high 90 point-ish team to missing the playoffs.

I mean, they won their 1st Cup after a 95 point season. 3 years later they missed the playoffs with 95 points.

[Samonadreau]

That Kopitar contract.... yeesh

[Erick Estrada]

They have identified what they have been missing? No kidding. Cap space to improve the team.

[Huntingwhale]

Kings sold their souls to win 2 cups. Any team would do that, including the Flames. They don't have a farm system like the Hawks to keep it going though. And for those 2 cups, they had to pay the guys who got them there. Brown, Kopitar, Gaborik, etc. All on huge ugly contracts which are ''reward'' contracts. Toews and Kane got the same. Nasty deals, but you reward your core for bringing you the Cup. You sell your soul for ultimate glory, and now the Kings are paying the price.