L.A. Kings: 7 Players the Kings Should Target This Offseason

The Los Angeles Kings have seen two consecutive early exits from the Western Conference Playoffs.

Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier have held their own in net and are right up there when it comes to goalie combos in the entire NHL. 

It also helps that they are both in their early 20s. 

The Kings should be set there for some time barring any major injuries.  They made instant upgrades offensively with the acquisitions of Simon Gagne and Mike Richards. 

Terry Murray and Dean Lombardi envisioned a Kings team with two very strong scoring lines, complete with powerhouse centers and four good wingmen. 

They now have that, but lack a couple key role players on the power-play and penalty-killing units. 

The loss of Ryan Smyth to Edmonton may have been big a couple years ago, but he never meshed in this system. 

Although he came to life in last year’s playoffs, his spark wasn’t enough to get the Kings past San Jose.

Wayne Simmonds and highly-touted prospect Brayden Schenn went via trade to Philadelphia and the acquisition of Colin Fraser may have been useless due to Fraser’s declining health. 

Michal Handzus went to division and conference rival San Jose, who appear to be going for it more than ever this year. 

Alexei Ponikarovsky left via free agency to Carolina. 

There are legitimate inexpensive options to replace some of the losses out there and here are seven of them in order of attainability. 

These names don’t exactly shout Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille or Jari Kurri, but every contender needs role players who will go out there, eat ice time, protect the puck or block some shots.

Kyle Wellwood

A realistic option for a free agency pickup is 28-year-old Kyle Wellwood. 

With the amount of moves San Jose has made, all signs point to a new home for Wellwood. 

He scored five goals and 13 points in 35 games on San Jose’s third line last year. 

Although not the fleetest of foot, he is able to create plays and will eat some ice time even playing on a third line. 

The Kings could have a very good top nine should they approach Wellwood.  He won’t demand a lot of money and is a worthwhile investment even if only for one or two years.

Scott Hannan

Everyone needs a shot blocker.  Hannan blocked 122 shots in 78 games between stints in Colorado and Washington. 

At 32, he is still capable of playing in 82 games.  He has played in at least 75 games in all ten seasons.

Don’t expect offensive output from him though.  Just expect him to show up dressed and ready to play, which is more than you can expect from some guys these days.

Chris Campoli

Going from the Flyers to the Blackhawks helped this defenseman raise his profile. 

Although Campoli isn’t a scoring threat, he has a tendency of constantly being around the puck. 

His asking price was a little high. 

As the season nears and if Campoli has desire to play in the 2011-12 season, my guess is it lowers to the $2-2.25 million a year range. 

He is a good skater and is tough, but doesn’t look to throw down the gloves. 

He is older, but would be a potential quality replacement for Wayne Simmonds. 

Terry Murray loves a tough hockey player and Campoli is that and a little more. 

JP Dumont

Declining stats in Nashville caused the Predators to buy out the remainder of Dumont’s contract. 

The right winger won’t seek much money, but still has something left in the tank. 

He will give you 70-plus games and has scored 20 goals or more six times in his career, which has included stops in Chicago, Buffalo, and the aforementioned Nashville. 

He hasn’t hit the 20-goal plateau since 2007-2008 when he scored a career high 29 goals and 72 points.

Brent Sopel

Why not go after a familiar face? 

Sopel played in Los Angeles for a season and a half before being traded to Vancouver for draft picks.

 Sopel turned himself into quite a nice shot blocker for the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks. 

The team went on to win the Stanley Cup that year. 

It obviously wasn’t solely due to him, but having someone like Sopel out there who will take one for the team never hurts (it actually might hurt Sopel). 

He is smart and quiet.  Every team needs someone who will keep their mouth shut and just play the game. 

He plays the passing lanes very well, too. 

Sopel is by no means a first or second line guy, but he is capable of being on a penalty-killing line and would be an inexpensive acquisition.  Think $1.5-2.5 million for a year.

Zach Bogosian

Zach was a highly-regarded prospect being drafted third by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2008’s NHL Entry Draft. 

His size and speed are assets for a defenseman. 

He has had some injuries in his young career that could hamper him. 

He broke his leg in the 2008 season. 

He also hurt his wrist and broke a finger three games into the 2009 season, but did not miss any significant time. 

His subpar statistics were evidence something was wrong. 

He is a viable replacement for prospect Brayden Schenn, who the Kings traded in the Mike Richards deal. 

The Shea Weber arbitration hearing outcome (one year, $7.5 million) will have an effect on future first-tier defensemen such as Drew Doughty, which could be a selling point for the Kings to make a lower offer to the second-tier guys such as Bogosian.    

Brad Marchand

Fresh off a Stanley Cup victory, Marchand is looking for a new deal and Boston would hate to see this 23-year-old leave. 

Acquiring this center would give the Kings yet another outstanding option at center.  Marchand finished with 41 points last year and a plus-25 rating. 

He was also a powerhouse in the postseason, playing in 25 games and scoring 19 points. 

He is currently in negotiations for a new contract with Boston and they would be silly to let him go.  Crazier things have happened.