Not yet.
*End article*
But no really, even after a terrible 4-game losing streak, it's not time to panic yet if you are an L.A. Kings fan. Concern? Yea definitely. Panic? Not in the slightest.
If this were an entirely healthy team that was losing games like they have to Pittsburgh, Philly, Detroit, and Carolina..then there might be a little cause for panic. However, since these losses have come during a time in which the Kings have been missing two first line players and two top 4 defenseman you can't be too concerned.
It's an 82-game season, and the Kings could win four in a row just as easily as they lose them. It's too early to be tossing around trade scenarios and damning players.
With that in mind there have been some extremely disappointing performances thus far.
Since Kopitar has gone down, the trickle down of ice time has seen a bump in even strength minutes to Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, and Jarret Stoll. Surprisingly, the first two of the group haven't seen that significant of an increase. Only about 30 seconds to a minute of 5v5 ice time increase. Stoll, however, has seen almost a full two minutes of increased ice time and has struggled mightily with it. In fact, Stoll is 2nd to last on the team currently when it comes to possession based metrics, only ahead of rookie Andy Andreoff. As usual, Stoll has been fairly solid when it comes to penalty killing (although the PK has laid an egg on this trip), however the 5 on 5 minutes have been damning. Richards and Carter have seen consistent usage, but as the effect of no Kopitar has trickled down the lineup, Stoll has been punched in the face with those minutes. It becomes exceptionally difficult for him when Andy Andreoff is only utilized as a 4C for about 4-6 minutes a night. That's a lot of slack to pick up left by 11.
BUT, the good thing is Kopitar is coming back, and was back on Sunday against Carolina. Granted it was a pretty ugly return, his line was the most effective line the Kings had at evens. Kopitar and Gaborik being back together, healthy, and productive will almost certainly alleviate some of the pressures on the bottom lines. It is painfully obvious to me that this is a team sport that relies heavily on individuals. No better example can be pointed to so far than Anze Kopitar being gone and how it affected the entire lineup. The PK was different, the PP was less effective (if that is even possible), and the Kings suddenly became a one line team. I think we've heard this before when it comes to the Kings though.
Other names that I have heard brought up during the struggle of this East coast road swing is Mike Richards, Dustin Brown, and Dwight King.
Richards has been great though so far. Mike Richards will unfortunately forever be compared to his earlier days in a wide open Flyers style game where points are easy to come by. Here in L.A. he has had a much tougher go. While some of the criticism on 10 has been warranted I don't believe it is this year. Production is down, but it's starting to feel like that is who Mike Richards is. He's not a 60-70 point guy, he's a 40 point guy. He's also been amongst the best King forwards on a nightly basis in terms of chances created and given up. On that note, Dwight King has been smack dab in the center of those metrics, while Brown has fallen into the negative category.
Here is a list of the Bottom 11 players on the Kings in corsi relative.
It's a unique mix for sure, and frankly if Van Der Gulik and Gaborik weren't included due to limited play time than Dwight King would be the next name to slot in. Also worth noting that many of these players listed are getting somewhat favorable matchups in terms of quality of competition. In a nutshell, the Kings depth has really hurt them so far, as the majority of these guys are depth players.
So why is it not time to panic? Well, the depth has been pressed due to injuries and suspensions. Can't stress that enough. Kyle Clifford is playing career high minutes, Alec Martinez is also playing a lot of minutes. Guys like Robyn Regehr and Matt Greene are probably being asked to play TOO many minutes. However, that's what happens when you lose a Voynov, a Muzzin, or a Kopitar. Everyone takes one step forward and here ya go, pick up the slack.
These injuries are things that will not be around forever. In fact, they don't even exist anymore. The Kings played with a fully healthy lineup Sunday against Carolina. Granted, they lost in unspectacular fashion to a weak team, it was at least a healthy lineup.
Dallas should be a solid test for the team tonight. The wounded have now got a game under them and should be in better condition to handle this game. The rust has been apparent with Muzzin, and I expect it to be similar with Gaborik and Lewis. That being said the Kings are back to normal operating procedures, the ice times can smooth out a little, and just maybe they can get back to winning some hockey games.
Positives to look at so far really outweigh the negatives.
Jonathan Quick has been unbelievable this season, winning games the Kings haven't had any business being in.
That 70's Line is still going strong, and we are starting to see the maturation of Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson. Jeff Carter is being Jeff Carter.
Brayden McNabb has looked like a legit NHL defenseman. While he makes his fair share of mistakes at times he is an NHL player, no doubt.
And overall the Kings have been losing to teams outside of the conference. Yeah you want to win every game but if you are going to lose at least lose to teams that won't gain on you via the result. These games could hurt at the end of the year, but they would hurt worse if they were loses to Western Conference opponents.
No panic yet from me. Still very early in the season with a lot of hockey left to play. Sample size and all that, the numbers aren't concerning...yet. American Thanksgiving seems to be the date that everyone puts a stamp on for who is who in the NHL. I expect the Kings to be back to normalcy by then.
I said on the JFTC JewelCast that I expected a good road trip from the Kings, and they've done a remarkable job in proving me wrong. However, tonight they have a real chance to end on a high note. If they make it 0-4-1 on this road trip they will have to endure the fury of this man:
Who on earth wants that?
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