LAK AT 42: THE AFTERMATH

LOS ANGELES, CA — Let’s get this out of the way. I tweeted this at the final horn of the Los Angeles Kings 6-2 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Though the math says it’s still possible and the lineup is missing two defensemen of import (Matt Roy to COVID-19 protocol and Tobias Bjornfot to injury), the two-game set against the Stanley Cup contending Golden Knights displayed the reasons why the Kings chase to the four seed in the West is futile.

Los Angeles was competitive to a point in the Vegas series, staying in both matches for 30 minutes ... but then a more talented and experienced team imposed their will to capture both contests going away. There is no embarrassment in losing to a gifted, well coached team but it is another reminder of what the gold standard is in the West division next season.

The current concern is what impact this poor stretch of play – 9 losses in the last 12 games – will have on the strides made by the team this season. It may be hard to see presently, but the improvement of the special teams (more specifically the third-ranked penalty kill), resurgence of the core players and the continued integration of youth sets the stage for a solid third campaign for Coach Todd McLellan if the team can avoid regression in the final 14 games.

McLellan told me just minutes after Wednesday’s loss that he was very concerned with regression after getting outclassed by a team that won the season series six games to two. Full credit should go to the opponents for being the superior team on both nights and it will be just as unfair to use the upcoming two games against the division-leading Colorado Avalanche as a further measuring stick.

With the team still in mathematical contention, the evaluation should be in the context of how the less experienced players perform in games of consequence, not against the division powers, and in the remaining games against the fair comparables, eight against the Arizona Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks.

That evaluation needs to include three additional prospects from the AHL Ontario Reign with the assumption that Quinton Byfield (7 goals, 12 assists in 26 games), the NHL’s second-overall pick in the 2020 Draft, will be among the three. The limit of recalls means that some of the familiar kids names won’t see NHL ice this season, but with the inclusion of the five taxi squad members should give the organization to liberally sprinkle more youth into the lineup in the season’s final month.

On to some good and not-so-good:

The good: Great to see Dustin Brown with an “A” on his sweater with the departure of Jeff Carter to Pittsburgh. While not formally announced as a permanent change, one has to assume the letter will be a fixture on his jersey for the balance of his career in Los Angeles.

The not-so-good: The comments that Brown should have never lost the “C” or that he should be given the “C” back. That ship has sailed long ago and Brown is at peace with the move by the former regime as evidenced by his performance this season.

The good: The goal-scoring machine, Trevor Moore. The lone saving grace in Wednesday’s loss, Moore is gaining more favor (check out his time-on-ice lately) with the Toddfather as the season lengthens. He’ll never be mistaken for a top-six winger, but if he can provide production at his current level (about 14 goals over an 82-game season), the arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at season’s end will find a permanent home on the bottom-six in his hometown.

The not-so-good: The six-game pointless and 19-game goalless streak for Gabe Vilardi. Line up all the excuses you like, the performance simply isn’t good enough.

The good: Even with the team’s declining performance in front of him, Cal Petersen’s numbers still look good. It’s no surprise his save percentage has regressed with the overall play (down to .918), but he’s put up 12 quality starts in 26 games and gives the team an opportunity to win every time he’s given the crease.

The not-so-good: An ugly performance for Jonathan Quick on Wednesday. A bad bounce for sure on the goal that saw him pulled after 15:25 of play and it would surprise most that he has more wins this season than his netminding mate Petersen. His level of performance in an injury-free season has to lessen the 45/55 net split McLellan has gone with this campaign.

And the best one of all...

The very good: Fans in the stands at the next home game against Anaheim on April 20. There isn’t a not-so-good in response.

TRADE ‘EM, KEEP ‘EM

Another reminder of the furthered distancing from the Stanley Cup era came on Monday when the ten-season run for Jeff Carter came to a surprise conclusion with his trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The previous departure of others like Jake Muzzin, Kyle Clifford and Alec Martinez came with warning and there was time to prepare. In this case, there was universal sadness in the locker room about Carter moving on, reducing the Core Five to Four.

The return was fair for Carter – two conditional picks which can upgrade based on team and player performance – but more importantly, it clears the path for younger players to slot in for the 16 minutes a night Carter was playing this season.

I was one of the critics when Carter arrived in Los Angeles which just goes to prove how wrong I am on occasion. Landing in SoCal with a dubious reputation that was amplified during his short stay in Columbus, Carter evolved into both a championship player and a team leader.

While the emergence as an impact player in the clutch could be foreseen with the talent he possesses, his reticence to being a public locker room presence – I always termed his media availability as a “Special Event” – made the claim of leadership skills difficult to confirm. But over the seasons he elevated to the position of alternate captain and his teammates vouching for his importance made it no surprise that those teammates who remained from the championship days expressed sadness at the reality of the downside of the business of hockey.

Against the backdrop of Carter’s departure was the good news that Alex Iafallo’s tenure in Los Angeles stands to extend for four additional seasons with the announcement of his $16 million extension. One of the best success stories of the current regime after signing as a college free agent from Minnesota-Duluth, Iafallo has improved his output every season and though he ultimately may not finish his deal on the Los Angeles first line, the fact remains that no player has been able to displace him off the trio with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown.

Every team would like a sniper on its first line and Iafallo is not that player, but if he can put up over 20 goals with 50 points for the balance of the contract, it’s a great value and one less area of need for the depth chart.

For those who feel four years is too long as it takes him to age 31, allowing him to walk to unrestricted free agency at season’s end would create a need for two top-six left wingers, a regression from a depth chart perspective that could not happen.

THE TIPPING POINT

With the Kings a small-time player at this trade deadline, I asked General Manager Rob Blake if the organization was at a tipping point with respect to shipping out players and now must start to import talent.

“In a frame of building, yes,” Blake responded. “The key with Alex was locking up what we consider our core. From Day One, we were getting it done... Now, you get to the summer and you get to the availability to add to the group.

“We were reluctant to move prospects and picks at this time. The moves to further getting better and improve will take its course over the summer. When I say improvements to the team, it’s not necessarily always a free agent signing. We understand a flat cap over a number of years, teams will have to be creative to stay under the cap to stay or maintain that level, and that’s where we will engage talks on players in different situations.”

Some may still resist the notion that to get to the next level the organization will have to move prospects to get established talent, but it is clear with Blake’s comments that the prospect pool will not remain intact come next season. Some of the future will be mortgaged in an attempt to close the talent gap between themselves and the elite of the Western Conference. One only needs to look at how many trades were made by the Colorado Avalanche and Golden Knights to realize what steps needs to be taken to build Los Angeles into a legitimate contender again.