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The Los Angeles Kings won their second Stanley Cup in three years and have a core in place to contend for the forseeable future. Julius Peppers Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Kings roster that might have some tweaking around the edges, but wont have to make dramatic changes in order to be a Cup contender again next season. Since winning their first Stanley Cup, in 2012, the Kings have been the leagues best puck possession team, carrying the play at even strength to the tune of nearly 57% possession in the past two seasons. Thats dominant stuff. Possession alone doesnt assure success because, as the Kings have found at times, actual goals are required to wins games and sometimes those dont come so easily. But, the Kings have enough guys with scoring pedigree, so even if Dustin Brown and Justin Williams arent scoring at usual rates, maybe its Tyler Toffoli or Tanner Pearson or Marian Gaborik that fills the offensive void. In the case of the playoffs, they all contributed and that was enough for the Kings to get crowned. Thats not to suggest it was easy. Winning three seven-game series and three overtime games in the Final requires a certain amount of good fortune to be smiling down on the team, but that was also a Murderers Row for the Kings to face in the Western Conference playoffs. The Boston Bruins were the only team in the league with fewer regulation losses than the Sharks, Ducks and Blackhawks, so any team going through that opposition needs a favourable bounce or two. But theres a reason that the Kings are in position to take advantage of those bounces and that goes back to their dominant puck possession and a team that has skill, size and skating throughout the lineup. Maybe the Kings will make a move or two in the offseason. Bringing back Gaborik would seem to be a priority, and there are a couple of free agent defencemen whose status needs to be addressed, but this is a team built to win now and, with a solid group of young players, theyre built to keep winning in the future. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014 regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5 shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com. GM/COACH Dean Lombardi/Darryl Sutter Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Anze Kopitar 78.37 82 29 41 70 61.0% $7.8M Jeff Carter 76.33 72 27 23 50 56.8% $5.272M Justin Williams 73.87 82 19 24 43 60.6% $3.65M Tyler Toffoli 68.42 62 12 17 29 60.4% $717K Dustin Brown 67.34 79 15 12 27 57.9% $5.875M Tanner Pearson 65.52 25 3 4 7 55.0% $735K Mike Richards 65.49 82 11 30 41 54.6% $5.75M Jaret Stoll 63.74 78 8 19 27 55.9% $3.25M Trevor Lewis 58.73 73 6 5 11 53.4% $1.525M Jordan Nolan 57.66 64 6 4 10 53.1% $700K Kyle Clifford 57.55 71 3 5 8 53.9% $1.075M Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Marian Gaborik 72.91 41 11 19 30 54.2% UFA $7.5M Dwight King 65.94 77 15 15 30 58.5% RFA $750K One of the games premier two-way players, Anze Kopitar is a rare player who takes on the toughest matchups, yet dominates anyway. Since 2009-2010, he ranks 11th in the league with 342 points, to go with elite puck possession numbers. The 26-year-old has won two Stanley Cups, leading the playoffs in scoring in both of those seasons, and is likely among the top handful of all-around players in the sport. Hes also missed eight games, total, in the past seven seasons. Since 2008-2009, Jeff Carter ranks sixth in the NHL with 189 goals, and his arrival in Los Angeles elevated the Kings into the championship tier. On the way to this latest Cup win, Carter frequently skated between rookies Tanner Pearson and Tyler Toffoli, and the line was so effective that there are high hopes for what they might be able to do over a full season. Conn Smythe Trophy winner Justin Williams had an outstanding playoff run, but hes been an exceptional puck possession player since arriving in Los Angeles and his playoff production offset what was really an underwhelming regular season; his 0.52 points per game was the second-lowest since his rookie year. Even after a good showing in the 2013 playoffs, Tyler Toffoli started last season in the AHL, scoring 15 goals and 23 points in 18 games before getting recalled. Hes fit right in to the Kings puck possession game and, with improved skating and a quick release on his shot, Toffoli has the offensive skills to be a big contributor. It was a tough season for team captain Dustin Brown, whose 27 points were his fewest in a season since his 31-game rookie year in 2003-2004. His hit totals were down and his 15:50 average time on ice per game was his lowest since 2005-2006. And yet, by the end of the playoffs, he was back on Kopitars wing and scored eight points in the last eight playoff games. Browns new contract, which runs for eight years, kicks in next season and the Kings had better hope that Brown can get back to being a productive scorer for at least a portion of those years. The 30th pick in the 2012 Draft, Tanner Pearson had 79 points in 105 AHL games then worked his way up the Kings depth chart, playing fourth-line minutes before he ended up with Carter and Toffoli, using his speed to create opportunities. Getting notable contributions from Pearson and Toffoli, on inexpensive rookie deals, allows the Kings more flexibility when it comes to signing others. Declining productitivity resulted in Mike Richards getting demoted to the Kings fourth line at times during the playoffs, which sends him into the offseason with questions about his status because his contract has six years left and, unless there is a sudden reversal, the next six years for Richards could be trouble. In some circumstances, Richards might be a buyout candidate, but he likely has enough of a reputation that he could be traded if the Kings are looking to create room under the cap. A reliable two-way player who has missed eight games in the past four seasons, Jarret Stoll is a consistent physical presence who has won nearly 56% of his faceoffs over the past five seasons, yet his time on ice (15:52) was his lowest since his rookie season, 2003-2004. There arent many forwards that play as much as Trevor Lewis, yet score so rarely, but he consistently generates positive possession stats, making him a useful checker in the Kings bottom six. Jordan Nolan provides a physical presence on the fourth line, though he was bumped out of the lineup for all but three games in the postseason. Nolan has 20 points in 134 career games, which is easily replaceable, yet hes also an inexpensive depth option for the Kings. In four NHL seasons, Kyle Clifford has fought 42 times and scored 48 points (22 G, 26 A) with positive possession stats in 276 games. He was a regular in the lineup during the run to the Stanley Cup and was terrific in the final series, scoring four points in five games and Clifford was a standout in the deciding game. Can the 23-year-old produce enough to take on a bigger role? Dwight King had something of a breakthrough season, scoring a career-high 30 points, spending significant time on the first line, which led to his stellar possession stats. Hes not a first-line type of player, but as a physical third-line winger who can chip in offensively, King fits the bill. Marian Gaboriks impressive production -- 19 goals, 38 points in 45 (regular season plus playoff) games -- after he was acquired at the trade deadline should earn him a good contract as a free agent and the Kings are likely interested in retaining his services, but if they cant keep Gaborik, the Kings could also dip in for other marquee free agents, whether thats Paul Stastny, Matt Moulson, Mike Cammalleri, Ales Hemsky or others. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Drew Doughty 73.83 78 10 27 37 58.5% $7.0M Jake Muzzin 71.10 76 5 19 24 61.1% $1.0M Alec Martinez 69.19 61 11 11 22 56.3% $1.1M Slava Voynov 67.95 82 4 30 34 55.0% $4.167M Robyn Regehr 62.03 79 3 11 14 53.4% $3.0M Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Matt Greene 64.07 38 2 4 6 58.4% UFA $2.95M Willie Mitchell 63.69 76 1 11 12 55.5% UFA $3.5M While his regular-season point production doesnt always live up to expectations, Drew Doughty has been a standout in puck possession terms; best in the league among defencemen to play at least 4000 5-on-5 minutes over the past four seasons. In the Kings two Stanley Cup runs, Doughty has put his full game on display, playing big minutes against tough opponents and simultaneously producing offensively. He can skate, hit and has seemingly boundless confidence in his ability, which serves him well most of the time. Jake Muzzin has been positively remarkable in terms of puck possession over the past couple seasons and while he started on the Kings third pairing, he finished the year alongside Doughty, and acquitted himself well. So, just like that, 25-year-old Muzzin is a top pair defenceman, with good size and a good shot from the point. Not bad for an undrafted free agent out of junior hockey. Even before he scored the Stanley-Cup-winning goal, Alec Martinez had something of a breakout campaign, scoring 11 goals during the regular season -- an amazing rate for a guy getting less than 16 minutes of ice time per game. While he tends to play easier minutes, Martinez has consistently put up good possession numbers. Playing more than 22 minutes per game for the past couple seasons, Slava Voynov has solid possession numbers and his 59 points over those two seasons puts him in a six-way tie for 28th among defencemen, with a group that includes Doughty, Zdeno Chara and Dion Phaneuf. Thats good, and the 24-year-old probably has more to give as he matures. Robyn Regehr has clearly lost a step, which isnt unusual fora 34-year-old that has spent many years matched up against the oppositions best forwards, but he had his role cut back and was injured in the playoffs, playing only eight of the Kings 26 games. With Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene headed for unrestricted free agency, Regehr does offer some insurance as a physical, stay-at-home defenceman. If both Greene and Mitchell head elsewhere, that would open up some holes on the blueline, but Brayden McNabb, a prospect acquired from Buffalo, should have a shot to earn one spot on the blueline and there shouldnt be great difficulty finding a veteran defenceman that would be interested in playing with this group. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Jonathan Quick 68.84 49 27 17 4 2.07 .915 $5.8M Martin Jones 77.59 19 12 6 0 1.81 .934 $550K Jonathan Quick has been an above-average starting goaltender over the last four seasons, though his perceived value may be inflated somewhat since he is a two-time Stanley Cup winner. Since having back surgery following the Kings 2012 Cup, Quick has a .910 save percentage during the regular season, ranking 26th out of 33 goaltenders to play in at least 50 games over that span. With Quick signed through 2023, the Kings could really use him getting back to his previous form, but theyre such a dominant possession team that they dont need Quick to be great in order to win.. When the Kings dealt Ben Scrivens to Edmonton, that opened up a spot for Martin Jones, who excelled when Quick was hurt in December. The 24-year-old, who was undrafted out of junior, has great size and should be able to handle a decent workload as Quicks backup. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Brayden McNabb D Manchester (AHL) 10-26-36, +14, 52 GP Valentin Zykov RW Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) 23-40-63, +32, 53 GP Linden Vey C Manchester (AHL) 14-34-48, +8, 43 GP Derek Forbort D Manchester (AHL) 1-16-17, +19, 74 GP Nick Shore RW Manchester (AHL) 14-24-38, +18, 68 GP Michael Mersch RW Wisconsin (Big 10) 22-13-35, +7, 37 GP Nic Dowd C St. Cloud St. (NCHC) 22-18-40, +17, 38 GP Jordan Weal C Manchester (AHL) 23-47-70, +28, 76 GP Kevin Gravel D St. Cloud St. (NCHC) 10-13-23, +9, 38 GP Nikolai Prokhorkin LW CSKA Moscow (KHL) 19-18-37, +12, 52 GP Jonny Brodzinski RW St. Cloud St. (NCHC) 21-20-41, +15, 38 GP Patrik Bartosak G Red Deer (WHL) 2.80 GAA, .924 SV%, 65 GP A big, physical defenceman who can handle the puck, Brayden McNabb was acquired from Buffalo last season and, with three AHL seasons under his belt, the 23-year-old ought to be ready for an NHL job. Drafted in the second round last summer, Valentin Zykov is a big winger who can score, but needs time to improve his skating before he challenges for a spot with the Kings. Given the development of Pearson and Toffoli in that regard, it seems reasonable to have hopes Zykov can achieve similar improvement. A fourth-round pick in 2009, Linden Vey has produced in the AHL, scoring 115 points in 117 games over the past two seasons, and did get into 18 games with the Kings last season. He needs to get stronger, but could have a chance to challenge for a job if the Kings have any turnover up front. Taken with the 15th pick in 2010, Derek Forbort has been slow developing, but the 6-foot-4 defensive defenceman moves well and could put himself in consideration for promotion with improved passing and puck skills. Picked in the third round in 2011, Nick Shore had a sold, if unspectacular, first pro season after three years at Denver University. If he continues to progress next season, hell be closing in on a shot at the NHL. A big forward who gets to the net to score goals, Michael Mersch was a fourth-round pick in 2011 and scored 45 goals in 79 games over his last two seasons at Wisconsin. He had four points in 11 (regular season plus playoff) games with Manchester of the AHL after his collegiate season finished. Alabama native is a big centre, drafted in the seventh round in 2009, Nic Dowd wrapped up a productive career at St. Cloud State, scoing 79 points (36 G, 43 A) in 80 games over his junior and senior seasons, before adding four points in 11 (regular season plus playoff) games with Manchester. While the Kings load up on big forwards, Jordan Weal is on the small side, but there is no ignoring his production -- 198 points in his last two years of junior or 70 points in 76 AHL games last season -- so the 22-year-old has to be on the Kings radar. A defensive defenceman with good size, Kevin Gravel played four years at St. Cloud State after he was a fifth-round pick of the Kings in 2010. Selected in the fourth round of the 2012 Draft, Nikolai Prokhorkin is plying his trade in Russia, but after a very productive year, leading his team in scoring, hes one to watch with significant upside should he decide to come to North America. Picked in the fifth round last summer, Jonny Brodzinski is something of a late bloomer who has scored 43 goals and 74 points in 80 games for St. Cloud State. A fifth-round selection last summer, Patrik Bartosak put up great numbers -- including a .929 save percentage in 120 games played -- over the past couple seasons in the WHL, and played well in four late-season AHL games. Lets see what he does with a couple of years of pro development. Kings advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFT 29th - Nikolay Goldobin, Nikita Scherbak, Brayden Point. FREE AGENCY According to www.capgeek.com, the Kings have approximately $54.0M committed to the 2014-2015 salary cap for 13 players. Check out my possible Kings lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: One top six winger, one top four defenceman, another defenceman. What I said the Kings needed last year: One top four defenceman. They added: Matt Frattin, Dan Carcillo, Ben Scrivens. TRADE MARKET Mike Richards, Robyn Regehr. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. A.J. Hawk Womens Jersey . Victoria now has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series for Canadas senior indoor lacrosse championship. Jeff Shattler had a pair of goals and four assists for the Shamrocks, while Scott Ranger, Karsen Leung and Mitch Jones chipped in as well. Micah Hyde Jersey . The league announced the decision on its website Saturday, shortly before AC Milan was due to kick off against Genoa at 6 p.m. local time. The 25-year-old Morosini died about an hour earlier after suffering cardiac arrest during his teams Serie B match at Pescara.ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Villanova worked the ball around until it found an open shot, all night long. Darrun Hilliard and Ryan Arcidiacono led the charge from outside, while JayVaughn Pinkston cleaned up the interior. It was all business for the sixth-ranked Wildcats. Now they can move on to their Big East showdown with Creighton. Hilliard scored 22 points, Pinkston had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Villanova beat DePaul 87-62 on Wednesday for its sixth straight win. The Wildcats made a season-high 15 3-pointers and had five players score in double figures in an efficient tuneup for Sundays game against the 18th-ranked Bluejays. James Bell had 16 points and Arcidiacono finished with 14, including four 3s. "We just want to get better throughout the year and play our best basketball at the end of the year," Hilliard said. Villanova (22-2, 10-1) opened a three-game trip with its eighth consecutive victory against DePaul. The Wildcats, who lost 96-68 to Creighton on Jan. 20, lead the Big East by one game over the idle Bluejays. Hilliard said his team was focused on lowly DePaul, even with the big game coming up this weekend, and coach Jay Wright had faith that the Wildcats would bring the right approach to the matchup with the Blue Demons. "I have great confidence in these guys," Wright said. "Its James Bell, Tony Chennault, Arcidiacono, are the leaders. I just constantly talk to them about just looking at one game at a time and they take care of it. As a coach you always worry about it a little bit but really, with this team, no." Brandon Young had a season-high 27 points for DePaul (10-15, 2-10), which has lost seven in a row. Sandi Marcius added 10 points and seven rebounds. "I didnt think that we played real well tonight but Villanova had everything to do with it," Blue Demons coach Oliver Purnell said. "Theyre playing at a high level. They shot the ball extremely well. " Villanova led 48-31 at halftime and then put it away with a 13-3 run to begin the second half. B.J. Raji Womens Jersey. Daniel Ochefu found Bell for a strong alley-oop dunk and Hilliard made a 3-pointer to make it 61-34 with 16:14 to go, leading to a timeout for DePaul. The Wildcats had impressive ball movement while shooting 55 per cent from the field, including a 15-of-26 performance on 3-point attempts. Hilliard was 5 for 7 from long range and Arcidiacono made each of his four 3-point attempts. "We just like playing with each other," Hilliard said. "Its just a testament to what weve been through and coach Wright coaching us and us listening and just sticking to what we do." It was DePauls first game since the school announced Monday that senior Cleveland Melvin was no longer enrolled at the university. Melvin, who ranks among DePauls career leaders in several categories, including scoring and rebounding, was suspended last month for violating team rules. The Blue Demons are winless in five games since Melvin had 25 points in an 84-74 loss to Xavier on Jan. 20 in his final game with DePaul. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 16.7 points and 6.4 rebounds in 20 games this season. "Sad. Thats a brother that I came in here with my freshman year," Young said. "Since hes gone somebody else has to step up, fill his spot, but every game weve got to focus on our opponent and try to get a win." Villanova began to pull away midway through the first half, scoring 11 straight points to open a 37-22 lead with 5:27 to go. Bell started the run with a 3-pointer and Dylan Ennis closed it out with another 3. It was more of the same for the rest of the half. Chennault had a steal that led to a nice fast-break pass by Hilliard to Pinkston, who ran down the middle of the lane for a soaring dunk that made it 46-27 with 1:14 left. Pinkston was 5 for 7 from the field and 4 for 4 at the line in his second double-double of the season. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a 74-67 win at St. Johns on Jan. 11. cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
