Los Angeles Kings: 5 Reasons to Get Excited for Next Season

It’s been more of the same the last two years for the Kings. Two straight years they finished for a low playoff seed, and two straight years they lost to their Round 1 opponents in six games.

Nevertheless, the Kings are a team on the rise, and will look to take the next step this season.

Here are five reasons to get excited for the upcoming season.

Summer Acquisitions

Mike Richards was the big offseason acquisition by the Kings, and for good reason. He’s a proven winner and, despite what anyone in Philadelphia says, he’s a good leader.

Richards forms a good one-two punch with Anze Kopitar, as his defensive skills complement Kopitar’s offensive prowess.

With the frenzy surrounding Richards however, it’s not hard to overlook the signing of Simon Gagne. He was once considered one of the best snipers in the game, but has been hampered by injuries.

Gagne will be an important piece on the Kings roster and should pot 20-30 goals this season.

Dustin Penner

Why would anyone get excited over a player that is out of shape and lazy? Well for one, these things have nothing to do with the player’s talent and everything to do with his mindset.

Dustin Penner was a disappointment in his time with Los Angeles last season, scoring only two goals in 19 regular season games.

Going into a contract year, Penner has something to prove. With the talent he is surrounded with, a 30-goal, 60- to 70-point season is not out of the question if he is motivated.

Goaltending

The Kings have an embarrassment of riches in net.

In Jonathan Quick, they have a goaltender that was sixth in the league in terms of goals-against average last season with 2.24. He’s going to be here a long time and, at 25, still has not reached his full potential.

Behind Quick they have rising young star Jonathan Bernier.

While most teams have to rely on their starter to shoulder most of the load, the Kings have the luxury of having two quality goalies. The Kings can rely on Bernier to play 20 games and keep Quick fresh for the playoff run. 

Dean Lombardi

In the past, Dean Lombardi was known as a patient GM. He would prefer to let his team develop instead of taking a risk and making a trade when his team needed it.

If the last several months are any indication, it would seem that his attitude has changed.

Lombardi made the biggest splash on trade deadline day with the acquisition of Dustin Penner from the Edmonton Oilers. He sensed the Kings had a chance to compete, so he went out and made a big trade.

He also made the biggest trade of the summer by acquiring Mike Richards.

The point is, Lombardi won’t wait around anymore. If he thinks his club might have a shot at competing, he won’t hesitate to add a piece or two.

The Kings Are Stanley Cup Contenders

There are only a handful of teams in the league that can claim to be contenders, and the Kings are one of them.

To get to the finals, they will have to go through San Jose and Vancouver, which is no easy feat, but the Kings are built for the playoffs.

The forward group led by Anze Kopitar and Mike Richards can score goals and be responsible defensively.

The defense has a good mix of offensive defenseman and shutdown players.  

The rebuild has paid off for L.A. They are a stacked team and with Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick, they have game-breakers at every position.