Stock Watch for Top 6 Forwards for the Los Angeles Kings

The defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings continue to slide, having lost five of their last six games. 

Scoring is one of the problems, and there are a few forwards in particular who haven't met expectations in recent weeks. With the lines being shuffled often, it's up for debate who the top six forwards are.

Youngsters Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson are still the overall offensive leaders this season. Toffoli tops the Kings with 23 points, while Pearson's 11 goals put him one ahead of Toffoli. 

With that in mind, here is the latest stock watch for the Kings' top forwards.

Tyler Toffoli: Down

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As previously mentioned, Toffoli leads the Kings with 23 points courtesy of 10 goals and 13 assists. However, he has underperformed of late and finds himself on the third and fourth lines.

His exceptional play and high point-per-game average from early in the season wasn't sustainable. We're seeing over the course of a bigger sample size that he still has some work to do to be a consistent offensive threat. 

Still, he should be considered a top-six forward because of his overall impact this season. So, while he has no goals and three assists in his past seven games, look for Toffoli to trend back up a bit in the coming month or so.

Jeff Carter: Down

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Jeff Carter has seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 32 games. That's a disappointing total for the sniper, who should be in the prime of his career. 

Carter has just two assists in his past 10 games and is a minus-six in that stretch. His last goal came on November 18 against the Florida Panthers. Regardless of who he's played with of late, he can't seem to find any chemistry—let alone his scoring touch. 

The center needs to have more of an impact—and he needs to do it fast—as the Kings are sliding down the standings.

Anze Kopitar: Steady

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An injury caused Anze Kopitar to miss three games earlier in the season. He hasn’t been quite the same since, although his play early in the year wasn’t spectacular either. 

The Slovenian is tied for sixth on the team in points with six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 29 games. Jake Muzzin has 15 points in 26 games.

Despite that, Kopitar’s stock is steady. Over the past month, there hasn’t been a significant rise or fall in his play. He must be better in the faceoff circle, as he’s winning just 51 percent of his draws. And he has to play better in the offensive zone to put his linemates in positions to score.

Marian Gaborik: Up

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Marian Gaborik has been hampered by injuries throughout his career. Luckily, that wasn’t the case in the playoffs last season; however, he’s had to battle through some pain in recent months.

So far, he has seven goals and four assists for 11 points in 20 games—many of which he likely hasn’t felt 100 percent in.

His stock is on the rise, as he’s notched three goals in his past two games on 10 shots. Gaborik has been a bright light for a team that otherwise can’t find the back of the net. The question now is whether he can stay healthy for a long stretch of time.

Justin Williams: Up

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Justin Williams isn’t the type of player you’d expect to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. He doesn’t have the skill that many of the Kings’ top players do, but he has an ability to develop chemistry with just about anyone he plays with.

Williams started off slow, but he is now on pace to put of the type of numbers you’d expect from him: about 40-45 points.

He has 17 points in 31 games this season. More importantly, he registered six points in his past seven games, making him one of the hottest L.A. players over the past two weeks.

The major question mark around Williams isn't his play, but instead where he will play next year. With his contract ending after this season, could this be it for the Cobourg, Ontario, native in Los Angeles?

Tanner Pearson: Down

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He’s not playing top-six minutes, but he’s been one of the Kings’ top six forwards this season overall.

Pearson leads the team in goals (11), plus/minus (plus-13) and game-winning goals (three). Unfortunately, he hasn’t been delivering of late.

Like his fellow "That 70s Line" members, Pearson is experiencing a prolonged cold streak that may leave some questioning his hot start and whether he can get back near that level. In his last 10 games, he registered two goals and no assists.

Look for Pearson to bounce around the lineup like Toffoli as Darryl Sutter tries to get more out of his forwards.

Stats courtesy of NHL.com.