Los Angeles Kings: Top Six Forward Projections

After a long rebuild, the Los Angeles Kings are ready to contend. In the offseason, GM Dean Lombardi made a bold move by acquiring centre Mike Richards. With this move, Lombardi is signaling that his team is finally ready to make a run at the Stanley Cup.

Along with Richards, teammates Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Dustin Penner, Simon Gagne and Justin Williams form one of the best top-six forward groups in the NHL.

Let’s examine what to expect from them in 2011-2012.

Anze Kopitar

Mike Richards may be a top-line centre on most teams, but Anze Kopitar is still the best forward in the lineup and still leads the offense.

The talented centre was having a season to remember until it was cut short by an ankle injury. The injury forced him to miss the final seven games of the season and the first round of the playoffs, leaving Kings fans wondering what could have happened had he played. Still, he racked up 73 points in 75 games.

In five seasons in the NHL, Kopitar has not had a season in which he finished with less than 61 points. At 24, he has not entered his prime yet, so he will only get better heading into next year.

At 6’3” and over 220 pounds with hands that belie his size, Kopitar is and will continue to be one of the top centres in the league.

2011-2012 Projection: GP 82 G 28 A 59 P 87

Mike Richards

He was supposedly shipped out of Philadelphia because of issues he had with Chris Pronger and some bad off-ice habits. The Kings don’t care what the reason may have been. In their eyes, they just received one of the best two-way players in the league.

His point totals have been down the past couple of years because of a reduced role on his team. It's a problem he will not have in Los Angeles.

On the special teams is where he thrives. He played the point on the powerplay in Philadephia, and he’s one of the best penalty killers in the game.

When it comes to tight situations, Richards is your guy. There are few players in the league that can be relied on more than him when the going gets tough.

2011-2012 Projection: GP 82 G 25 A 46 P 71

Dustin Brown

Dustin Brown is the captain and the heart and soul of this Kings team. He is not a dominant scorer by any stretch, but he brings grit and a scoring touch that every team craves.

To go along with being in the top five in hits last season, he also chipped in 28 goals for the Kings. The right winger is effective in all facets of the game. If he has a downside it is the fact that he is a little inconsistent in the goal scoring department.

He is also one of the better leaders in the game. When Kopitar went down with his ankle injury, Brown was the player that stepped up and led the offense for the Kings in the crucial final stretch of the season.

2011-2012 Projection: GP 82 G 30 A 29 P 59

Dustin Penner

Dustin Penner will have a better year next season. At times last season he looked slow, lazy and completely out of shape. It was especially noticeable in the playoffs where he was jeered by the fans the entire first round.

Although his time with Los Angeles was subpar, he did finish the season with 23 goals, which is definitely respectable for a second-line player.

At 6’4” and over 240 pounds, Penner is often the biggest player on the ice for either team, and has the tools to be a great power forward in this league.

This is a contract year for Penner, so he should come to camp in shape and ready to play, as many players do in this situation.

2011-2012 Projection: GP 82 G 27 A 31 P 58

Simon Gagne

Injuries definitely hampered what could have been an incredible career for Simon Gagne. At 31, he is younger than a lot of people think he is. He is not quite over the hill yet, and could still recover to be a very good player.

There was a time when Gagne was a legitimate 40 goal threat, but injuries have slowed him down offensively. He is coming off two 17 goal, 40 point seasons.

Gagne also tends to stray away from physical play.

He’s still a good defensive player though. He back-checks well and is a reliable penalty killer.

Given his history, it’s hard to expect a full 82 game season out of Gagne.

With a lack of depth on the left wing, Gagne will be given every opportunity to succeed in Los Angeles.

2011-2012 Projection: GP 69 G 24 A 27 P 51

Justin Williams

Here we have another player who has had trouble staying healthy over the years. The right winger has not played a full season in the NHL since 2006-2007 with the Carolina Hurricanes.

When healthy, Williams is a solid player on any team. Williams is a fast winger with a good shot. He also plays well in his own zone. Last season Williams scored 57 points and is slowly creeping back to the form he had in his days with Carolina.

It looked like the same story all over again when he separated his shoulder late last season. Williams showed real character when he returned just in time for the playoffs and was one of the Kings’ best players in their series with San Jose.

2011-2012 Projection: GP 75 G 21 A 42 P 63