Will All Be Fine in 2009? Things Are Looking Up in LA LA Land

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Forwards:  With a lineup that boasts five First Round Draft Picks including 2008 All Star and Captain Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Alexander Frolov, Justin Williams (who sat on the shelf for most of last year), and the newly acquired Ryan Smyth. 

Those talents along with face off specialist Jarret Stoll, Raitis Ivanans, Michael Handzus and sophomores Wayne Simmonds, Teddy Purcell and Oscar Moller is a great mix of speed, grit and skill.  Outside of Brown and to a degree Stoll, (and now Ryan Smyth)the forwards desperately lacked that "sandpaper" which the Kings hope they addressed in 2009 first Round Pick (fifth overall)  Brayden Schenn and second Rounder Kyle Clifford. 

2008 fifth Rd pick Andrei Lotkionov was an offensive force all of last year for the Memorial Cup winning Windsor Spitfires , who along with 2006 first rounder Trevor Lewis should get a good look at upcoming training camp. (Veterans Derek Armstrong and Kyle Calder most likely will not be with the team when they hit camp.)

The Kings have a lot of question marks going into the 2009-10 season.  Will the goaltending question finally be answered?  Will the kids continue to progress and  develop long term chemistry? Will Doughty build on his outstanding rookie season and along with the other second year players avoid the dreaded sophomore slump?  Will the carefully concocted blend of youth and experience, grit and goals, speed and skill be the recipe for success?  Will Jack Johnson be signed? Will Terry Murray be able to hold it all together behind the bench? Will Lombardi exchange some of his vast youth or depth or dip into free agency (RFA or UFA) to provide the Kings with that elite game breaker they have lacked for so long? 

With years of patiently waiting, and carefully constructing, this team seems to be finally readu to turn the corner that seperates "pretenders" from "contenders".  Lombardi must be very proud to sit back and watch as the pieces of the puzzle of his "master plan" start to finally fall into place. With all the talent on and off the ice, the very bright future of the franchise appears to be in great hands,  to kindly reward the long suffering, dedicated fans of hockey in Hollywood. 

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