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Originally Posted by Sylvanfan
That LA defense this year isn't the same as it was in past years. After Doughty and Muzzin, it's nowhere near the unit that was winning cups even if Martinez was in the lineup.
I personally think the Kings are holding on here and that if they bow out next game that their run as an elite championship level team is done. They still have a great trivecta in Quick, Doughty, and Kopitar. Muzzin, and Taffoli are also good players in an attractive age group as is Pearson. But the rest of that roster is getting old and expensive.
The thing with veteran players is that it gets tougher for them to be as consistent year in and year out as they were when they were young. Last year a lot of Sharks had off years, they miss out. This year a lot of their 30+ guys bounced back with good seasons.
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The problem becomes that the Kings have a lot of money and term tied up into their aging core. That's the side effect of going all in for those two Cups. There's still enough there to go on a playoff run under the right circumstances but every year it's going to be more difficult for them. I don't see another Mike Richards get out of jail free cards available to them.