Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fonz
Solidified their goaltending? Is the 30 year old backup goaltender Khudobin actually an upgrade on Gibson?
And IMO, Hagelin replaced Beleskey, not Etem. While Hagelin is a lot quicker than Beleskey, he never scored as many goals last year, nor does he have the physical game of Beleskey.
I don't disagree with you ranking them 2nd, as I did too, but which of their forwards do you believe underachieved last season?
Kopitar, Carter, Gaborik, and Brown all had seasons last year that were right on track with their averages the last few seasons.
I could see Toffoli increasing on his 49 points, but as for the 4 players above, I expect the same as last season.
|
Maybe not solidify, but added proven quality NHL depth. Having Andersen, Khudobin, and Gibson is a lot more solid then having just Andersen, and the rookie Gibson.
Beleskey was gift wrapped goals from playing on the top line, and had a Bryan Bickell esque playoff run. He could prove last season was no fluke, but IMO 22 goals will be his career high unless he gets fed PP time and plays top line minutes. He has decent goal scoring and physicality while Hagelin has speed and borderline elite defensive play, he's like a faster Frolik. Personally I'd rather Hagelin then Beleskey. I'm sure they're hoping that Stewart will offset the big physical body of Beleskey too.
Toffoli, Pearson, and Lucic are the main three that I expect a bounce-back/better year from the most, especially Pearson. The Kings in general need to be a lot more consistent in their play and not take half the season off.