Burning Questions as Los Angeles Kings 2014 Training Camp Approaches

The Los Angeles Kings are less than a week away from opening training camp. A shortened summer leaves no shortage of questions as the quest to defend their Stanley Cup championship gets underway.

The Kings are among a handful of teams picked to go all the way, and that's obviously the biggest question: Can they return to the final?

A number of other interesting topics will pop up as camp begins. Certain players, like Dustin Brown, are looking to shake off a terrible 2013-14 campaign. Others, like Tanner Pearson, are looking to establish themselves as legitimate threats game in and game out.

With that in mind, here are five burning questions with L.A. training camp just around the corner.

Is That '70s Line the Real Deal?

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Jeff Carter is a solid top-six player and one of the elite snipers in the league, no question. There is also no debating the chemistry he developed with youngsters Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli. At the most crucial times in the midst of a long, tough playoff run, this line came through offensively.

Will it continue to have success this season?

Darryl Sutter has shaken up lines often in the past two years in the regular season as the Kings struggled to produce. There's a chance this line could get broken up, through no fault of its own, at some point. Perhaps Mike Richards jumps back up to the second line, for example.

However, aside from that, there is no reason this line can't stay together and thrive. Carter is in the prime of his career, and Pearson and Toffoli have the skill, the work ethic and now the experience to be impact players each game.

Will Dustin Brown Be a First-Line Player?

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Dustin Brown had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2013-14. The captain registered just 15 goals and 12 assists for 27 points in 79 games.

Not exactly All-Star numbers.

At age 29, there is no reason he can't bounce back and be the player Kings fans are used to seeing. That's an aggressive power forward who works well on the forecheck, goes hard to the net and backchecks. But can he make it back on to the first line with Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik?

It's certainly a possibility right out of training camp. If the previously mentioned line of Carter, Pearson and Toffoli stays together, there are limited options for who could play right wing on the first line. Brown and Justin Williams would be the options.

Look for Brown to spend significant time on the first line this season, but don't be surprised if Williams or one of the young wingers gets their share of time as well.

Will Brayden McNabb Start on the Third Pairing?

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Brayden McNabb has very little NHL experience with just 37 games played. But that doesn't mean expectations aren't high for the 23-year-old defenseman.

With Willie Mitchell gone, the opportunity is there for McNabb to become a regular in the Kings lineup. Drew Doughty, Slava Voynov, Robyn Regehr, Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez are the top five heading into camp. That leaves a spot open on the third pairing for McNabb, Matt Greene or Jeff Schultz.

That's a battle that should play out over the course of training camp with plenty of intensity.

Greene is a respected veteran who offers a physical presence defensively. Schultz offers incredible size and decent two-way abilities for a third pairing blueliner. McNabb is a player with great potential, both as a shutdown defenseman and with his shot from the point.

Can he bring that level of play immediately at the start of the season?

Will Drew Doughty Have a Norris Trophy-Worthy Season?

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Doughty is one of the world's best hockey players, not just defensemen. He's been consistent throughout his career as a shutdown defender, a great puck-carrier, passer and quarterback on the power play. His performance at the 2014 Olympics was nothing short of spectacular.

However, he's only been nominated for the Norris Trophy one time, back in 2009-10.

That season, he recorded a career-high 16 goals and 43 assists for 59 points. The last three Norris winners have averaged nearly a point per game. A trend? Perhaps.

Doughty may need to step up offensively to earn a Norris nomination. Fair or unfair, the Kings are seen as the league's top defensive team due in large part to a number of great two-way forwards. As such, Doughty doesn't always get the credit he deserves.

Doughty will likely need to notch at least 50 points while continuing to play solid defense to earn a Norris nomination this season.

Will the Kings Repeat?

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The last team to win back-to-back championships was the Detroit Red Wings in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

The Chicago Blackhawks appeared poised to do it last year, as did the Kings in 2012-13 until running into the Blackhawks.

Neither team got any worse over the summer, so there is no reason they both can't go deep again in 2014-15. No one should be surprised if the conference final once again features Chicago and L.A. No one should be surprised if the winner of that series has a much easier time winning the Cup than the Campbell Bowl, as was the case for the Kings this past season.

There is a long way to go before talk of a repeat can be taken seriously. With that said, as of now, being eliminated by any team but the Blackhawks would be seen as a huge disappointment.