To say the Los Angeles Kings are on the cusp of becoming an elite team in the NHL is putting it mildly. The Kings have a crop of young and extremely talented players that are not only already producing at the NHL level but they've produced on the worlds largest stage the Winter Olympics just recently. But and there's a big but...
They're young and they're talented and they're on the precipice of becoming an elite team BUT they lack an elite scorer to push them over the top...
As good as Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty are on the defensive end as fluid a scorer and facilitator Anze Kopitar is and as intimidating as Dustin Brown is on the offensive end the LA Kings still need a big time scorer to be able to consistently compete against the best teams in the NHL. They have the tenacity, they have the youth and they have the grit all they need now is the smooth as ice top flight scorer to propel them to the top.
Unfortunately there aren't too many top flight scorers available right now for the Kings... there aren't too many teams selling right now as the saying goes.
Ray Whitney of the Carolina Hurricanes has been mentioned in trade talks as has the Kings Alexander Frolov...
I speculate that a big move will not occur during this NHL season for the LA Kings. There's a lot of talk around town about the return of Justin Williams from the IR and that's just the crutch the Kings need to lean on to avoid making a trade. I think Frolov will stay put and the Kings will play it safe and conservative and maybe acquire a 3rd or 4th line player for depth but not a significant scorer which is what they really need.
In my mind the Los Angeles Kings are notorious for being ultra conservative and for putting a product on the ice that's just good enough to get into the playoffs but not quite good enough to make a legitimate run at the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately I think this year will be no different...
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