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Ryan Durham

RyanDurham@THNews

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Ryan Durham·15h·Partner

LA Kings’ Kuemper Latest to Test NHL’s Stance on Goalie Fights

Unlike the other major North American sports leagues (MLB, NBA, and the NFL), the NHL has codified fighting into its game. Five-minute majors for fighting and two-minute minors for instigating are right there in the rulebook and have been for a long time. While there has been endless debate about whether fighting belongs in the game, most hockey fans seem to enjoy a good tilt between a couple of heavyweights from time to time. Even better? A goalie fight! The very thought of two netminders skating all the way out to center ice to “chuck the knucks” can send typical NHL crowds into a frenzy. On March 23rd, Crypto.com Arena fans came very close to witnessing the very rare goalie fight when the Kings’ Darcy Kuemper and the Boston Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman left their creases and made their way to center ice. However, to the disappointment of many, both players were separated by officials before anything could get started. Sportsnet analyst Elliotte Friedman literally booed the decision on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, asking “why are you ruining our entertainment?”. To drive the point home even more, the title of the episode is “Let The Goalies Fight.” LA Kings’ head coach Jim Hiller, on the other hand, seemed relieved that his number one goalie was stopped from trading blows with Swayman: “I was thinking that somebody should have grabbed him (Kuemper). I’m glad it turned out the way it did,” remarked Hiller during the postgame media availability. And who could blame him? Kuemper is having a Vezina Trophy type of season for the Kings. His GAA of 2.13 is good for second in the league and his SV% of .918 is tied for second as well. Losing him for any reason, let alone for an injury sustained in a goalie fight, would be catastrophic for a team intent on finally changing their playoff narrative this season. High performing number one goalies with Cup winning experience are hard to come by in this league, so one can understand why coaches and GMs are loath to see them fighting. The last NHL goalie fight took place on February 1st, 2020, between Calgary's Cam Talbot (ex-King) and Edmonton's Mike Smith during the pandemic bubble. In recent LA Kings’ history, the last fight goes back to Felix “The Cat” Potvin and Ottawa goalie Jani Hurme on December 20th, 2001. As a testament to how much the league’s tolerance for goalie fights has changed, Potvin and Hurme were allowed to fight for close to two minutes that night. This would be unthinkable now in 2025. In addition to the Kuemper near fight, Pheonix Copley left his crease to challenge Anaheim’s John Gibson on February 17th, 2023, but the guys in stripes once again deprived the fans of a goalie scrap. Does the entertainment value of a goalie fight outweigh the injury risks? When cooler heads prevail, most NHL fans would probably prefer not to lose their starting goalie to some broken knuckles or a wrist sprain due to dropping the gloves. Thus, it is probably the right decision for the league to crack down on goaltender brawls, but it will never stop the fans from wanting to see it. And that isn’t going to change any time soon.

Ryan Durham·2d·Partner

LIVE Game Thread: FINAL Los Angeles Kings 7- Boston Bruins 2

Game 69: Los Angeles Kings vs. Boston Bruins Notable: LA are 7-2-1 in their last ten games. Currently on a two-game winning streak. Changes: Trevor Lewis will replace Trevor Moore on the second line. Boston: 2-7-1 in their last ten games. Currently on a five-game losing streak. LA is 10-0-3 in their last 13 games at Crypto.com arena. WIth two points tonight, LA would overtake the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division. 1st Period Blown coverage by LA and Elias Lindholm opens the scoring for his 13th goal of the year. Anze Kopitar takes a pass from Kempe at the blue line and skates in a Swayman. One quick move to his backhand and we are tied 1-1 in LA. Kopitar's 18th goal of the season. LA starting to get more extended o-zone time but still with just one shot on goal as we near the halfway mark of the 1st period. HEAVY hit on Turcotte by Peeke. 2-on-1 for LA. Byfield gets a good shot off but Swayman makes the save. Boston 9/13 on faceoffs so far tonight. Foegele gets off a hard wrist shot but Swayman makes the stick save. Andrei Kuzmenko has been very active in the offensive zone but still no showing much shot mentality. With 5:02 remaining, Boston has five shots on goal and LA just three. Great look for Gavrikov down from the blue line but Swayman makes the save. LA starting to generate more sustained o-zone time. After a very sleepy start, the Kings are started to skate and looking to make dangerous plays. Swayman with a huge save on Kempe on a stuff attempt from behind the net.! GOAL! Warren Foegele on a nice feed from Danault for his 20th of the year. Foegele's 100th career NHL goal. 1st Period Recap: after a somnolent first five minutes, the Kings slowly began to put together sustained zone time, forcing Boston's Swayman to make some tough saves. The Kings were very opportunistic, scoring on two of eight shots on goal, whereas Boston managed to test Darcy Kuemper with just five shots. 2nd Period Underway! LA has won 7 of 8 games since acquiring Andrei Kuzmenko at the trade deadline. GOAL! Boston! Foegele is unable to clear the Kings' zone and Morgan Geekie ties it on his 25th goal of the year. Boston still with only six shots all goal. Both Boston goals coming on egregious defensive lapses from LA. GOAL! Drew Doughty on the rebound for his third goal of the season. 3-2 LA Kings. Two-minute minor for tripping on Mikey Anderson. Boston goes on the power play. LA kills off the penalty. Line of Helenius-Jeannot-Turcotte continue to have a physical presence. Temperature is going up at Crypto. Darcy Kuemper skates out to center ice and tries to go with Swayman. Goalie fights? Gotta love it! GOAL! Andrei Kuzmenko on a one-timer from Kempe. 4-2 LA with less than a minute to play in the second period. SECOND PERIOD RECAP: LA in good shape to continue their home point streak at 14 games, leading Boston 4-2 after two period. LA has been opportunistic on 16 shots it what has been a "salty" game up to this point. 3rd Period Underway! GOAL! Quinton Byfield in transition. Eight goals in his last ten. Byfield is on fire. 5-2 LA. Offsetting minors and we are skating 4-4 for two minutes. GOAL! 6-2 LA. Tanner Jeannot with a deflection to break this game open. LA getting goals from all four lines and that has to be a good sign for the playoffs. With 5:35 remaining in the third period, LA has still has only allowed 13 shots on goal. GOAL! Sammey Helenius with the 2nd goal of the season. 7-2 LA Kings. 7 different goals scorers for LA tonight. LA will impove to 25 -3-4 at home. Impressive victory from LA who set a franchise record for 14 straight points on home ice. 11-0-3. NEXT UP: Los Angeles vs. New York Rangers, March 25th, 7:30 PST, Cypto.com Arena. THREE STARS: 3rd star- Warren Foegele, 2nd Star- Adrian Kempe, 1st Star- Quinton Byfield LA Kings: 32-21-9, 87 points, .630 points percentage, 2nd place in the Pacific Division.

Ryan Durham·2d·Partner

LA Kings’ Fiala Embodies Evolution of Swiss Hockey in the NHL

What comes to mind when you hear the word “Switzerland”? Banks, chalets, ski slopes, fine timepieces? Or maybe those guys from the Ricola commercials playing those long horns somewhere in the Alps? Well, it may be time to add “impactful NHL players” to that list of things hailing from Die Schweiz. Among the 11 current NHL players from Switzerland are stars like Nashville’s Roman Josi (2020 Norris Trophy winner), LA’s Kevin Fiala, and the talented duo of Timo Meier and Nico Hischier (1st overall pick 2017) in New Jersey. In his three years in Los Angeles, Fiala has scored 78 goals and racked up 114 assists. In 2024-25, the flashy left-winger is projected to score 31 goals, which would be his second time reaching the 30-goal plateau. Any potential playoff success in LA hinges upon the production that the St. Gallen native will bring to the table. Surprisingly enough, Kevin Fiala is not the first Swiss-trained player to play for the Los Angeles Kings. That distinction belongs to goaltender Pauli Jaks. The 108th pick in the 5th round of the 1991 entry draft made history on January 29th, 1995, at the Great Western Forum as the first Swiss-born player to appear in an NHL game. Jaks would relieve starter Robb Stauber after the LA netminder gave up four goals on 17 shots against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks after 20 minutes of play. This Chicago team would end up scoring 22 goals in their four regular season meetings against the Kings, so all the blame can’t be placed on Stauber. Even The Great One was -3 on the night and Marty McSorley didn’t even have any penalty minutes, if you can believe that. Moreover, Chicago boasted a talented roster with names like Tony Amonte, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios, and Gary Suter, which makes Jaks' relief appearance really quite impressive. In 40 minutes of TOI, Jaks made 23 saves on 25 shots, for a .925 SV%, allowing the Kings a chance to get back into the game. They would eventually lose 6-3 but Pauli Jaks made history and cracked open the door for future generations of Swiss players. Just six years after Jaks’ historic first and only NHL game, David Aebischer would become the first Swiss player to win the Stanley Cup with the 2001 Colorado Avalanche. LA Kings’ fans are surely hoping that Kevin Fiala can join Aebischer by becoming the second Swiss player to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup.

Ryan Durham·Mar 17, 2025·Partner

LA Kings' Kuemper Named NHL 1st Star of the Week

Goalie Darcy Kuemper has been named NHL 1st Star of the Week for his outstanding play during the week of March 10-16. The 34 year-old native of Saskatoon went 3-0, including back-to-back shutouts against the Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators. Kuemper stopped 78 of 79 shots during the week, good for an almost invisible to the naked eye GAA of 0.33. In addition to helping the Kings gain ground on Pacific Division rivals Edmonton and Vegas, Kuemper also etched a place in LA Kings' history. Kuemper now has a home point streak of 13 games dating back to December 7th, which is the longest such streak since Kelly Hrudey's 12 game run in 1991. A Stanley Cup winner in 2022 with the Colorado Avalanche, Kuemper's consistent excellent play for Los Angeles has the Kings within striking distance of Vegas for a Pacific Division banner. Although not really mentioned as a serious Vezina Trophy candidate, one wonders if he should be. Kuemper currently ranks second in goals-against average at 2.16 and is third in save percentage at .919. Given backup goalie Dave Rittich's lackluster play in his last dozen starts, LA is counting on Kuemper to maintain this stellar level of goaltending well into the playoffs.

Ryan Durham·Mar 16, 2025·Partner

Live Game Thread FINAL: LA Kings 1, Nashville 0 in OT

The Los Angeles Kings host the Nashville Predators and will look to extend their current winning streak to five. The Kings are 8-0-3 in their past 11 games at Crypto.com Arena, the third longest home point streak in franchise history. Currently third in the Pacific Division, LA can overtake the idle Edmonton Oilers for second place with at least one point. Notes: -Center Quinton Byfield has scored a goal in five straight games. -Anze Kopitar is currently riding a 4-game point streak (2 G, 3 A) -LA's penalty killers have been a perfect 13/13 over their past two contest 1st Period -The puck is down and play is underway in Los Angeles. -Good start from LA's fourth line of Tanner Jeannot, Samuel Helenius, and Alex Turcotte. -LA still looking for their first shot on goal after about five minutes of play. -G Darcy Kuemper makes a tough save on a Ryan O'Reilly bid from the slot. -LA has had a handful of good looks but has yet to register a shot on goal. -LA will go on the power play. Nashville penalty to Bunting, 2:00 minutes for holding. -LA only record one shot on goal with the man advantage. Game remains scoreless. -LA with still just two shots on goal with a little over four minutes remaining in the period. -MASSIVE o-zone pressure by LA as the first period comes to an end. Still 0-0 at the end of the 1st period. Second period underway in Los Angeles. -Adrian Kempe goes off for holding. Nashville with their first power play opportunity of the game. -Kings kill off Kempe's penalty and have now killed off 14 straight penalties over their last three games. -LA turnover leads to scoring chance for Zach L'Heureux but Kuemper denied him on the doorstep. -NSH back on the power play. Jeannot (LA) two minutes for an illegal check to the head. Blankenburg (NSH) looked to embellish that call. It doesn't appear that Jeannot actually made contact with his head. -LA kills off Jeannot's minor penalty. Now 15 straight kills for LA. -With eight minutes remaining in the second period, LA with just five shots on goal. LA has missed the Nashville net multiple times. -With LA's offensive officially AWOL so far tonight, Darcy Kuemper has been the Kings' best player. A perfect 13/13 on Nashville's shots. -Warren Foegele on a breakway: hits the crossbar. Still scoreless. -LA to the power play. Kevin Fiala draws a tripping penalty on Brady Skjei. -Great setup for Moore who shoots it wide. -Zero shots on goal for LA on that power play. Both sides 0/2 with the man advantage so far tonight. -Forsberg (NSH) high sticks Quinton Byfield and LA will go on the power play with 14.6 seconds remaining the second frame. -Kempe's one-timer draws iron. 0-0 after two. 3rd period underway -LA with just one SOG on the power play. LA 0/3 with the man advantage and we are still scoreless in LA. -With 14 min`s left to go, LAK will still just 7 SOG. Yikes. -Trevor Moore with a counter down the wing but his backhand shot is easily fought off by Annunen. -LAK with more o-zone time leading to a handful of shots from the point but Annunen (NSH) keeps things scoreless. -LA with a clear push here looking for the game's opening goal. -End to end action. Kuemper robs Sveckkov twice on the doorstep and Jeannot hits the post on the break the other way. -1:48 remaining and things are still scoreless at Crypto.com Arena. -Good chance for Mikey Anderson but Annunen makes the save. -Great chance for Stamkos on a 2-on-1 but Kuemper makes the save. -60 minutes isn't enough to find a winner in this one. With the point, LA ties Edmonton and is now in 2nd place in the Pacific Division. OT -Darcy Kuemper 11-0-1 hasn't lost in regulation at home over a stretch of 12 games. -Byfield hits the post with a chance to win it. -Byfield WINS IT in OT for the Kings on a nice setup from Adrian Kempe. Byfield's third OT winner of the year. -Byfield now has goals in six straight games. Is the Byfield Era starting in Los Angeles? -Byfield is the first King since Luc Robitaille to score in six straight games. RECAP: After a very sluggish start, the LA Kings relied on a strong performance from goalie Darcy Kuemper and late heroics from young Quinton Byfield to beat Nashville 1-0 in overtime. With the win, LA now has 81 points, good for second place in the Pacific Division. LA Kings are now an NHL best 23-3-4 on home ice. NEXT UP: LA Kings at Minnesota Wild, March 17th, 5:00 PM Pacific, Xcel Energy Center.

Ryan Durham·Mar 14, 2025·Partner

LA Kings Holding Their Own Against League’s Best

Now that the month of March is half over, potential playoff seedings and wild card battles are taking shape nightly across the NHL. With last week’s trade deadline in the books, fans and experts alike seem to view the Dallas Stars as serious Stanley Cup favorites. And the betting markets appear to agree, with Draft Kings having the Stars down at +600 to win it all. Not far behind are the Edmonton Oilers, + 800 to win their first Cup since 1990. The Los Angeles Kings? They aren't getting a ton of love from the sports books at +2000 or an implied probability of 4.76%. Although it's true that the Kings have well-known issues, is it possible that LA is more of a threat than people realize? Despite their 28th-ranked power play (15.5%), 13th-ranked save percentage (.904), and mild 2.86 goals per game, the Kings are regularly beating some very good teams. Looking strictly at teams with a .600+ points percentage at this point in the season (CAR, COL, DAL, EDM, FLA, TBL, TOR, VGK, WSH, WPG), the Kings are a robust 11-8 against this elite group. This includes three wins against Vegas, two wins against both Dallas and Winnipeg and one against the defending champion Florida Panthers. Not too shabby. How have Cup favorites Dallas and Edmonton fared against this same group? Not nearly as well as Los Angeles. Edmonton has so far gone 7-11-3 against these elite teams, while Dallas has posted a record of 7-11-2. Not the kind of record that screams a lock to win it all in June. While it would be foolish to read too much into this discrepancy, it seems to indicate that the LA Kings play up to their competition. There is a belief in the room that they can beat anybody when they play their game. Swiss winger Kevin Fiala alluded to this sentiment during the media scrum following LA’s win against the Washington Capitals on March 13th:“We’re not scared from (sic) anybody. We’re strong at home this year.” Not just strong but a league best 22-3-4 at Crypto.com Arena, which has suddenly become a very inhospitable venue for road teams from either conference. With 18 regular season games remaining for the Kings, much remains to be written. Will their dominance at home continue unabated? Can they continue to go toe-to-toe with the NHL’s top tier? Will they find a way to get better results away from home? If so, the hockey world just might be sleeping on these guys. And if you are LA, you probably hope that they keep dozing well into May and June.

Ryan Durham·Mar 12, 2025·Partner

Foegele Signing Looking Better and Better for the LA Kings

When LA Kings’ general manager Rob Blake signed winger Warren Foegele to a three-year deal last July, fans could be forgiven for asking, “who?” Among the many Oilers who have tormented the Kings the past three years in the playoffs, the name Foegele would probably come well after Bouchard, Draisaitl, Ekholm, Hyman, Kane, and McDavid. However, when one looks at Foegele’s numbers so far this season and factor in his reasonable $3.5 AAV over three years, this may turn out to be one of Blake’s best signings. Sorry, Ilya Kovalchuk. The 28-year-old forward leads the Kings with 18 goals and 33 points at even strength. With LA only sitting at 18th in the league at 2.84 GF/G, it's hard to imagine where they might be without the addition of Foegele. With 20 games remaining in the regular season, Foegele is well on his way to surpassing his career best offensive production from last year. In that 2023-24 season with Edmonton, Foegele struck for 20 goals and 21 assists but is projected to hit 24 goals and 22 assists this year with the Kings. Could a 30-goal season even be in the cards one day? Teammate Trevor Moore seemingly came out of nowhere to score 31 goals for LA at the ripe old age of 29, using a similar blend of speed and slick hands in tight around the net. Maybe LA is the place to be when it comes to late-blooming goal scorers. On a squad with certified burners like Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe, Foegele can also hold his own in the wheels department. In fact, according to NHL Edge, Foegele registered a max speed burst of 23.19 miles per hour this season, ranking in the 92nd percentile. Tops on the Kings this year? Notorious speed demon Quinton Byfield at 23.40 (98th percentile). Long story short, Warren Foegele has been an impactful player for LA in the first year of his contract. If he builds on his long postseason run with the Oilers last season, could he be the piece that LA needs to finally get past Edmonton and into the second round? If LA were able to finally vanquish the firm of Draisaitl, McDavid and Associates with solid contributions from Foegele, the deal could end up being last summer’s best free agent signing.

Ryan Durham·Mar 9, 2025·Partner

Is the LA Kings’ Failure to Attract Free Agents a Cause for Concern?

Leading up to the NHL trade deadline there was considerable chatter that the LA Kings were very much in on Finnish star Mikko Rantanen. Esteemed and very connected SportsNet NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman reported one of the hurdles to any deal was the talented forward’s disinterest in signing an extension with the Kings. When one thinks about the plethora of recent big name free agents making LA their home: Lebron James, Mookie Betts, Shohei Otani, Freedie Freeman, and Roki Sasaki, just to name a few, it begs the question of why the new Dallas Star would not want to sign in Los Angeles. Some have speculated that having no state income tax in Texas might have been a factor. It seems, however, a bit of a stretch that a player signing a 96 million dollar contract would be concerned with state income tax. Could it be the perception that the LA Kings aren’t a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup this year? According to Moneypuck, the Kings currently have a 2.6% chance of winning it all this year, whereas the Stars are sitting at 11%. Recent playoff experience may have also figured in on Rantanen’s decision. The Kings have suffered three straight first round exits while the Stars have made it to the Western Conference finals the past two seasons. Could LA’s defensive style of play have also played a factor? As Boston Bruin defenseman Nikita Zadorov famously put it last season as a member of the Vancouver Canucks: “they don’t make plays; they just rim the puck and sit back all game.” While this is a slight exaggeration of the Kings’ offensive philosophy, it may have given a two-time 100+ scorer like Rantanen some food for thought. The last LA King to record over 100 points was number 99, Wayne Gretzky in the 1993-94 season. Is it possible that today’s high scoring forwards are weary of coming to LA because they fear having to adopt a more defensive style of play at the expense of individual stats? One will probably never know all the reasons why Rantanen balked at signing a long-term deal with the Kings, but it probably has more to do with winning a Stanley Cup than individual point totals. The LA Kings have not won a playoff series since 2014 and are coming off first round losses in three straight years. Their precarious third place/wildcard positioning simply doesn’t make them an attractive destination for a player that wants to win now. This dynamic is unlikely to change until the Kings start winning playoff series.

Ryan Durham·Mar 8, 2025·Partner

LA Kings 2024 Trade Deadline Analysis

As the dust settled on the March 7th NHL trade deadline, GM Rob Blake took questions from the media for about 20 minutes – – one of the longer availabilities of his tenure. Although reportedly linked to several big trade targets like Mikko Rantanen and Brad Marchand, Blake opted for a much less splashy move: acquiring forward Andrei Kuzmenko from Philadelphia in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick. The Flyers also retained 50% of Kuzmenko’s expiring contract. When asked about the deal, Blake said that Kuzmenko was brought in to help the power play and “to give it a different look”. As Kings fans know, LA’s 30th ranked power play needs all the help it can get. Blake underscored that he was looking for a draft pick deal, so mission accomplished on that front. As to the rumors that the front office was going big game hunting, Blake was careful not to divulge any specifics but indicated that the team was “in on a lot of conversations on the offensive side of the game”. Draw your own conclusions, but it does sound like LA may have been trying to land a bigger piece at the deadline. This would have required much more than draft picks to pull off so one can only speculate which pieces of the Kings’ current roster were in these conversations. Was young center Quinton Byfield actually being shopped, as several outlets had reported? In regards to defenseman Brandt Clarke, Blake reiterated that he “had no intention of trading” him. Will the addition of Kuzmenko help the Kings break the curse of yearly first round playoff exits? That, of course, remains to be seen. The Vegas Golden Knights brought back Reilly Smith in a trade with the New York Rangers and also picked up veteran Brandon Saad off waivers on January 31st. For those accustomed to seeing Vegas fire off a blockbuster at the deadline, these moves seem somewhat underwhelming. The Edmonton Oilers, who have owned the Kings in three straight playoff series, added Trent Federic in a trade with Boston. The tough 6 '3, 221-pound forward will bring even more of the physicality that has tormented the Kings the past three postseasons, but Edmonton did not shore up its goaltending that has been shaky of late. As for the Central Division, the rich just got richer. The Dallas Stars traded for Mikko Rantanen and signed him to an eight year extension at 12 million a year. The Colorado Avalanche received Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders and defenseman Charlie Coyle from Boston. Between the 1st overall Winnipeg Jets, who added forward Brandon Tanev in a trade with the Seattle Kraken, and the two aforementioned teams, getting out of the Central alive is going to be brutal. As Rob Blake stated during his media availability, LA’s goal is to make the playoffs and to get out of the first round. If one can assume that their opponent will be either Vegas or Edmonton, maybe this is the year they finally break out. LA has won two out of three games against Vegas so far this season, and have split the first two games with the Oilers. As good as the Oilers have been the past few years, they don’t seem to have the aura of invincibility that they once had. Even superstar Connor McDavid isn’t really having a “Connor McDavid” type of season. With Darcy Kuemper, the Kings would have a clear upgrade in net compared with the past three playoff series against Edmonton. Maybe the 4th time's the charm?

Ryan Durham·Mar 7, 2025·Partner

Would the Kings Dare To Move Doughty or Kopitar at the Deadline?

The very thought of seeing Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty wearing a sweater other than LA’s probably seems blasphemous to Kings fans, but should it be? Ageing superstars or even ones in their prime get traded. Even the Great One ended up in St. Louis and eventually New York. As of this writing, this year's trade deadline looks like a seller's market. Tampa Bay gave up a 2nd-round pick, two 1st-round picks, and Mikey Essyimont in their deal to acquire Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde from Seattle. Imagine what a contender might part with to acquire the veteran leadership and Stanley Cup bona fides that Anze Kopitar or Drew Doughty bring to the table. Both players carry large cap hits – 7 million for Kopitar and 11 million for Doughty, so the Kings would likely have to retain some salary in any potential deal, but it could allow them to replenish their draft picks. In other words, start a rebuild that was never really done. Of course, both players would have to agree to any move. As per The Fourth Period, Doughty has a 7-team trade list and Kopitar, a no-movement clause. Approaching two franchise cornerstones to discuss moving them might lead to some hard feelings, but the Kings have done it before. Arguably the greatest American goalie in NHL history, Jonathan Quick, was dealt to Columbus before eventually landing in Vegas in 2023. The move shocked much of the fanbase but brought in Vladislav Gavrikov, a key component of LA’s current defense corps. Although reportedly not happy with being moved, the trade worked out very well for Quick. He won a third Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights and is now playing for the team he grew up rooting for as a New York Ranger. Thus, the question is, how does an organization do right by its legendary core? Keep a player like Dustin Brown on a fringe contender that doesn't have the horses to win it all or move him somewhere where he has a legitimate chance to go out a Stanley Cup winner again? When you think of just how much winning is embedded in the DNA of players like Brown, Doughty, Kopitar, and Quick, wouldn't finding a way to send them to a contender be the best way to truly honor them? There is always time to plan a jersey raising ceremony a little later down the road.

Ryan Durham·Mar 5, 2025·Partner

Kings Stuck in Neutral as Cup Wins Fade From View

The Los Angeles Kings have not won a playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2014. And as thrilling as Alec Martinez’s OT game-winner was for Kings fans, it took place almost 11 years ago. In many NHL markets, a decade without a playoff series win would set off alarm bells and maybe cost people a few jobs. LA’s ownership group, however, has shown a ton of patience with the front office, and in turn, management has passed on this patience to its veteran core. Franchise legends like Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, and Jonathan Quick were afforded multiple shots at winning a third Stanley Cup but could never reconjure the magic of 2012 and 2014. During last summer’s exit interview press conference, club president Luc Robitaille likened the organization to a “big family.” This is, of course, a notion that everyone can understand. We may have disagreements in our family, but we remain loyal. In many respects, loyalty is a true virtue. It can be highly commendable to display loyalty, but is it conducive to winning in the NHL? Unfortunately, loyalty can create blind spots that hinder one’s ability to see things as they are. For those who care to look at things head-on, the state of the LA Kings is far from rosy. Although general manager Rob Blake and Robitaille talked about adding to the team to get them to the next level, the Kings are regressing. As of this writing, the Kings have scored just 165 goals. Only Calgary, San Jose, and Anaheim have scored fewer goals in the Western Conference. At the end of last season, LA ranked 16th in scoring at 3.10 GF/G. Contrast that with their current position this season: 22nd in the league at 2.81 GF/G. Last year’s team finished 11th in the NHL on the power play at 22.6%. So far this season, they sit 30th overall, at 15.2%. How about their road record? Last year: 22-15-4. This year so far: 12-17-5. Even with the rosiest of rose-colored glasses, this is not trending like a team that can finally vanquish their one-sided nemesis, the Edmonton Oilers. While it’s true that LA still plays a very stingy brand of defense, allowing only 159 goals so far this year, good for second only to Dallas (155) in the Western Conference, they still can’t score. Is there any reason to believe this team can win 2-1 16 times in April, May, and June? The bottom line is that the Kings don’t have the firepower to win a series against the likes of Vegas, Edmonton, or Winnipeg. Adrian Kempe, LA’s leading scorer, is 54th in the league in scoring. Captain Anze Kopitar, 59th. No disrespect to them, but how does that match up with McDavid, Draisaitl, and Eichel come playoff time? To be blunt, it doesn’t. The LA Kings must let go of the past and evolve to today’s game. Scoring goals is the only real currency in this league, and the current configuration of this proud franchise simply cannot compete with the true heavyweights in the Western Conference. Hopefully, this family will have a tough talk and do what is necessary to change this team's trajectory.

Ryan Durham·Mar 3, 2025·Partner

Could LA Be A Trade Deadline Landing Spot for Mikko Rantanen?

As we approach the March 7th NHL trade deadline, the chatter surrounding Carolina Hurricane forward Mikko Rantanen continues to ramp up. According to producer Drew Livingstone, formerly of Sportsnet, esteemed TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger sees Rantanen ending up a Los Angeles King when the Trade Deadline dust settles. While it remains to be seen how general manager Rob Blake could swing a blockbuster deal for the coveted Finnish forward, it is safe to assume that it wouldn’t come cheap. Players that offer a package of size, skill, and speed like Rantanen aren’t exactly a dime a dozen. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has also speculated on 32 Thoughts that a team like the Anaheim Ducks might be looking to make a splash by bringing in The Moose. Could the idea of a star like Rantanen landing with LA’s Freeway Faceoff Rivals spur Rob Blake to go all in? It doesn’t really fit in with LA’s stated desire of adding a top-6 right-hand shot to the mix, but does it really matter that Rantanen is a left-hand shot? He is, after all, a two-time 100+ point season player who has recorded 249 power-play points in his career. His acquisition would completely transform the Kings’ moribund power play. And at just 28 years of age, Rantanen would rejuvenate an LA team that is still heavily reliant on aging Anze Kopitar (37) and Drew Doughty (35). So, who would the Kings be willing to part with? Trade speculation has followed defenseman Jordan Spence even back to last season. His ability to cleanly exit the zone and quarterback the powerplay could be enticing if Carolina is looking to add youth and skill to its blueline. Is defenseman Brandt Clarke also on the Hurricane’s radar? The former 1st round pick leads LA blueliners with 25 points this season but seems to have found himself in coach Jim Hiller’s doghouse of late. Would the organization even be willing to part with center Quinton Byfield to bring Rantanen to LA? After the Dodgers’ signing of MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani and subsequent World Series victory and the Lakers’ blockbuster trade for Luca Donic, is it possible that Rob Blake might feel the Kings need to go big-game hunting, too? Stay tuned!

RyanDurham·Mar 2, 2025

Kings’ Jekyll and Hyde Home/Away Record Is Cause For Concern

Fans and observers of the LA Kings this season have probably wondered which version of the LA Kings will show up on any given night. Will it be the team boasting a 19-3-3 home record with victories over defending champs Florida and league-best Winnipeg, or the 12-15-5 away version with two road losses to the San Jose Sharks under its belt? For an organization that considers itself a Stanley Cup contender, are these home/road splits indicative of a team that can make a serious playoff run? Recent Stanley Cup champions would say no. Looking back at the last ten Cup winners tells us that no team has finished under .500 on the road during the regular season. The “worst” regular season road record among recent Cup winners belongs to the 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins, at 19-15-7. With LA currently at just 12 road wins, matching the Pens’ 19 road wins would already be some tough sledding. In case you are curious, the 2014 Stanley Cup-winning LA Kings went 24-14-4 away from home, while the 2012 champs posted an 18-13-10 record on the road on the way to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup. Long story short, finishing under .500 on the road during the regular season does not appear to be a recipe for success in the playoffs. Even to match the 2012 squad’s 18 road victories, this year’s team would have its work cut out for them. LA only has nine road games remaining this year, so they would have to win at least six. Doable? Perhaps, but LA would need individuals to step up in a big way. Captain Anze Kopitar has registered six points (1 G 5 A) over his last 15 games. Forward Alex Turcotte has one assist over the same number of games. Getting more production from these two might help LA break the .500 mark on the road. Collectively, the LA offense has to be better at burying its chances. In just the past two games against Vancouver and Dallas, multiple Kings forwards had Grade-A chances that were air-mailed over the net or clanked off posts and pipes. It’s in these areas that contenders differentiate themselves from pretenders. Goalie David Rittich embodies the feast-or-famine nature of this LA team. On home ice, “Big Save” Dave is 9-2-2 with a 2.20 GAA and .920 save percentage; on the road: 3-9-0 with a 3.09 GAA and .870 save percentage. However, LA’s travel woes can’t all be placed at Rittich’s feet. The power play has been an ongoing problem all season, and there have been stretches where playing a full 60 minutes of hockey has been elusive. The mantra of “just get into the playoffs, and anything can happen” still may hold true, but trying to do it with a sub-500 winning percentage on the road has not worked out historically. And believing that things might be different for this Kings team might require a lot of magical thinking.

RyanDurham·Feb 28, 2025

Why Playoff Success is Still Possible for The Kings Despite Their Power Play Struggles

Conventional wisdom would say that the Los Angeles Kings have a power play problem. And, sure, the numbers don’t lie: The Kings are currently 30th in the league with a paltry 15.2% on the power play. It’s one of the reasons that hockey analysts tend to consider the Kings “pretenders” rather than “contenders”. But what if I told you that there doesn’t seem to be a correlation between power play success and winning the Stanley Cup? Looking back at the last 20 Cup winners tells the story of regular season power play juggernauts that fizzled out in the playoffs, as well as some very underwhelming power play units that managed to win it all in June. Did you know that the 2008 Detroit Red Wings are the only team to lead the league in power play percentage during the regular season to go on to win the Stanley Cup in the past two decades? The vaunted Edmonton Oilers posted a video game-esque 32.4% with the man advantage only to lose to eventual champions the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round in 2023. Conversely, the 2011 champion Boston Bruins sported a pretty mediocre 16.2% during the regular season and an even worse 11.4% in the playoffs. You know who else hung up a 11.4% in the playoffs? The 2013 champion Chicago Blackhawks with that Patrick Kane guy. If one looks specifically at LA’s two Cup-winning runs it’s A Tale of Two Cities. The 2012 formation registered a fairly pedestrian 16.9% over the regular season and then got worse in the playoffs at 12.8%. This didn’t stop them from organizing a parade that June. Two years later the Kings converted at 15.1% during the season before going off at 23.5% on the way to their second Cup in three years. Thus, what is one to make of this? Well, hockey is complicated and flashy power play highlights don’t necessarily translate into taking home any hardware. Sometimes you run into a hot goalie that steals a series from you. Sometimes you run into a “let ‘em play” ref who doesn’t seem to want to call anything a penalty. So maybe LA is on to something when they keep preaching defense first, as boring as it may be. The Kings have only allowed 144 goals against, the fewest in the league. It’s almost March, so this is a feature not a bug. LA is stingy and just plain hard to score on. So who knows? Maybe if the power play starts clicking in the playoffs like it did in 2014, a parade plan might be a good thing to have on hand. Just in case.

RyanDurham·Feb 26, 2025

Kings Hope Recent Scoring Uptick Continues

If only the Kings could score. The timeless lament of probably every LA Kings fan on Earth. Even the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup-winning squads were not exactly known for lighting the lamp. They relied on a bruising forecheck, stellar netminding, and just enough scoring to collect 16 Ws. Of course, it has been well over a decade since the Kings hosted a parade in June, and scoring remains a constant enigma What must be maddening for the fans is that the 2024-25’ LA Kings can beat ANY team in the league when they manage to score at least four goals. In fact, LA is a gaudy 19-0-1 this season when scoring four or more goals. Furthermore, the team is 26-0-2 when scoring three goals or more. The only real blemish came on October 14th, when the Kings and Ottawa decided to treat fans to a 1980’s 1980s-era throwback game. Defense was purely optional at the Canadian Tire Center that night and the Kings lost 8-7 in overtime. After an abysmal month of January that saw LA only score four or more goals twice, February has seen the Kings hit the four or more goal mark five times, with two more games remaining before the end of the month. Just as a point of reference, the Edmonton Oilers scored four or more goals in the month of January seven times, but I guess that is to be expected when you have guys named McDavid and Draisaitl in your locker room. What are the reasons for this relatively high-scoring February for LA? First and foremost, Kevin Fiala. The Swiss sniper has been on fire of late, recording 12 points in his last 10 games (8 G 4 A). A subject of ire among a segment of the fan base for his frustrating turnovers and untimely penalties, Fiala has done much to silence his detractors over the past month. However, Fiala’s hot streak is but one factor in LA’s hot February. Center Quinton Byfield has also done more than his share with 11 points (1 G, 10 A) over his last 10 games, all while continuing to play a responsible 200-foot game. After going pointless over a recent seven-game stretch, Warren Foegele has chipped in with six points in his last six games, including a goal and an assist in LA’s statement win against Vegas on February 24th. Finally, Trevor Moore has also been a catalyst for LA’s recent offensive surge. A 31-goal scorer just last season, the Thousand Oaks native has looked like a shell of himself so far this year. Could his 4 goals over his last six games mean that he is on the cusp of breaking out? Only time will tell, but plugging in last year’s Trevor Moore would go a long way toward helping LA make some real noise in the Stanley Cup playoffs.