The role of coach is a balancing act and ice time and line combos are one of the smaller details in a much larger job.
It is one part motivator, one part strategist, one part babysitter, and one part whatever else you want to throw in there.
To question the method can be a bit tricky at times due to the nature of being a coach and being in the room with those players. Only Darryl Sutter and the LA Kings truly know about Darryl Sutter and the LA Kings.
But where is the fun in that when it comes to analysis?
The Kings have slowly morphed over the years from a team full of young guns to a team full of grizzled Stanley cup winning veterans. Even the guys like Kopitar and Brown, who were once considered the youth movement, are pushing up into the next era of their careers. The good thing about the way that Dean Lombardi has structured the Kings though is that there is a next wave of talent coming. Some of it is right here in L.A. wearing black and silver as we speak.
I am talking about the new set of "Kids":
Tyler Toffoli, Brayden McNabb, Tanner Pearson, Nick Shore, and Andy Andreoff.
They make up the youngest sector of the Kings roster along with goaltender Martin Jones.
While Nick Shore and Andy Andreoff have had little time to make a true impact on the roster, you could make the argument that the L.A. Kings would not be as good a hockey team right now without the former three.
At a time when the Kings offense has needed a jolt, Pearson and Toffoli took up the mantle. At a time when the Kings desperately needed a solid second pairing defenseman, McNabb has stood up to the challenge.
But does their usage reflect that? Because the statistics sure do.
Before Tanner Pearson got hit with injury, he and Toffoli were the two hottest goal scorers on the LA Kings. Heck, Toffoli still is.
As our good friend Sheng Peng (
@Sheng_Peng) from Jewels from the Crown pointed out in a recent article, Toffoli has been a stalwart in numerous offensive categories.
Good read and worth checking out.
These categories include points per 60, goals per 60, shots per 60, corsi, fenwick.
You name it. Toffoli has been amongst the tops not only on the Kings but in the league.
Hey look, it's Tyler Toffoli
Hey look, it's Tyler Toffoli!
Hey look.......it's Tyler Toffoli.
(Forgive the charts hanging off the edge, the thumbnails were so small that it was making my eyes hurt trying to look at them. I'm sure you would relate)
However, when you start getting into the ice time it's a far different story. Those charts listed were created using players playing over 500 minutes this season. 427 skaters were eligible with those parameters and Toffoli barely slides in at 401st.
That averages out to a mere 13:55 a night, 256th amongst forwards in the NHL and 8th amongst the Kings 13 regular forwards.
At this moment in time, Toffoli is playing less than Dwight King, Jarret Stoll, and Dustin Brown, and is on nearly the same level as Trevor Lewis. However, he is a shade higher than what Tanner Pearson was getting at 13:17.
Ryan Garbutt, Anton Lander, James Sheppard, Jay McClement, Max Talbot, Tyler Toffoli.
One of these is not like the other, but the ice time is about the same.
Obviously there is a pecking order in the NHL, and rates are not actuality. If you up Toffoli to 20 minutes a night in the top 6 you would probably see a drop off in what his actual production would be. However, with a team that has had trouble scoring, why not test the water and give him the minutes?
Development is difficult, and you don't want to give the players too much too fast. Toffoli has earned it though. There has been signs of trust with Sutter and Toffoli though even with the young forward still being prone to defensive zone mistakes. He has garnered a fair bit of shorthanded time on ice this season, which was almost non-existent last season. The odd thing though is that his powerplay time has dropped off from this year to last year. With a player that has shown tremendous ability offensively this season that seems strange doesn't it?
You could say the same almost the exact same thing for Tanner Pearson. Obviously this is no longer an issue considering Pearson is shelved with an injury, however the same argument could be made when healthy. These young forwards probably deserve a little more ice time. All of Tanner Pearson's rates were within the top 5 on the team. They weren't at the same level of Toffoli but still worthy of a bit more ice time than a mere 13 minutes a night.
Nevertheless, Sutter has opted to go with a more veteran heavy usage. With the playoffs on the line and crunch time approaching, I wouldn't expect that to change. There is a mystique about the "veteran" forward that doesn't die easy. Even with the downturn in play this year from the likes of Stoll, Regehr, Martinez, and Dwight King, you're seeing Sutter opt for the more trusted players in his eyes.
It's fair, but also unfair.
Those players earned the trust of Sutter in one way or another and are getting the ice time because of it. Whether they deserve it based on level of play is another argument entirely, and one that doesn't favor the veterans over the young upstarts.
Take for example Brayden McNabb.
McNabb was a healthy scratch in favor of Jamie McBain prior to the injury to Alec Martinez, despite being the third best defenseman the Kings actually have behind Muzzin and Doughty in terms of driving the play.
McNabb has been steady if anything, however he has seen extreme fluctuations in usage and has had his name left off the lineup card on several occasions.
(Graphs provided by
War-on-ice.com)
Again, you ask yourself if this is fair? And that can be a loaded question honestly.
We don't spend every day with the team, we aren't behind closed doors or at every practice. Maybe things are talked about that we don't know about.
Also, trust is earned. Sutter feels comfortable playing who he plays when he plays them and that is his call based on years of being with them. Muzzin went through the same process, as did Martinez, and Dwight King.
Andreoff, McNabb, Toffoli, Pearson, and the "Shore Boy" are simply going to have to pay their dues. I would say that most of them are on the right track. The play has been excellent and the ice time will follow suit.
As for right now though, I would say throw a bit of caution to the wind and play the best players the most. Even if they aren't the most experienced of the bunch.
oh and before I forget. How about those new Reign logos eh?
Gotta love it.
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