April 2018 - LA Kings Insider

Kopitar a Hart Trophy finalist

LA Kings InsiderApril 27, 20180 Comments

Robin Alam/Icon SportswireAnze Kopitar, who is also a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy, is a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy along with New Jersey forward Taylor Hall and Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon. The trophy is presented annually to “the player judged to be the most va... Full Story

Advances, but still work to be done, in push to become – and play – faster

LA Kings InsiderApril 27, 20180 Comments

Media Availability7 min read

Another season gone by, another call for the Kings to become faster and more skilled. There are nuances to this push. Hockey isn’t SPEEDPUCK. It is not a track meet in which points are awarded by a series of footraces, and there are teams perceived as having good speed, such as Montreal, or Chic... Full Story

In push to raise ceiling, call for more regular secondary scoring sounded

LA Kings InsiderApril 26, 20180 Comments

Hockey OperationsMedia Availability11 min read

Though the LA Kings made significant strides to improve their offense well beyond the overall rising tide of league-wide scoring, there were still clearly separated tiers of production that depicted a divide between Anze Kopitar from Dustin Brown, and those two from the rest of the field. Among t... Full Story

Brown (shoulder), Lewis (hand) undergo surgeries

LA Kings InsiderApril 26, 20180 Comments

Injuries1 min read

The Kings announced that Dustin Brown underwent successful surgery on his left shoulder on Thursday, and that Trevor Lewis underwent successful surgery on his right hand on Tuesday. Both Brown and Lewis are expected to make full recoveries prior to the start of training camp. Brown, 33, appear... Full Story

Despite “unacceptable” conclusion, team confident in short, long-term focus

LA Kings InsiderApril 25, 20180 Comments

CoachingHockey OperationsMedia Availability10 min read

Jonathan Kozub/NHLIThere exists an interesting gulf between two basic but contrasting sets of LA Kings data. On one hand, there’s the 82-game sample size in which central members of the core experienced career years as the team improved offensively, retained its defensive identity, won the Jenn... Full Story

Reign season ends in Game 4 loss; strong Stothers praise for team, Petersen

LA Kings InsiderApril 25, 20180 Comments

Ontario ReignPostgame quotesProspects and ScoutingRecordsVideo10 min read

The Ontario Reign’s first round Pacific Division series with the Texas Stars turned at the 9:19 mark of the second period of Game 3 with the series knotted at one game apiece. After allowing a Michael Amadio goal that put Ontario up 4-3, the Stars' Landon Bow was replaced in net by Mike McKenna, the... Full Story

Quick exit interview transcript, video

LA Kings InsiderApril 24, 20180 Comments

Media AvailabilityVideo4 min read

As one of the players on the LA Kings who wears his competitiveness on his sleeve, Jonathan Quick stood in front of the assembled media during exit interviews late last week, and it was possible to feel how strongly he'd prefer to be playing than cleaning out his equipment from the dressing room and... Full Story

Why Doughty is the Kings’ King Clancy Memorial Trophy nominee

LA Kings InsiderApril 24, 20180 Comments

AwardsCommunityNHL NewsPhotography4 min read

Jeff Gross/Getty ImagesThe NHL announced on Monday the each club’s nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded annually “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.” The only King to have w... Full Story

Does Kempe project at center or wing? How much untapped production is there?

LA Kings InsiderApril 23, 20180 Comments

Advanced StatsMedia Availability7 min read

Adam Pantozzi/NHLISpeaking from a wider-picture view, one of the brighter spots of the LA Kings’ season was Adrian Kempe’s ability to step into a prominent role in Jeff Carter’s absence, and despite a 29-game goal scoring drought to end the regular season, still provide hard, quality minutes in whi... Full Story

DoPS releases video, but one hit missing; better enforcement of non-hockey plays?

LA Kings InsiderApril 23, 20180 Comments

InjuriesNHL Player Safety4 min read

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety released a video on Friday that demonstrated the implementation of Rule 48, which governs illegal checks to the head. The video was produced while the league drew outside scrutiny based on a general sense that the levying of supplemental discipline has been appl... Full Story

Frantic finish drops Reign in 2OT; Stothers, Amadio, Walker quotes

LA Kings InsiderApril 22, 20180 Comments

Ontario ReignPlayoffsPostgame quotesVideo7 min read

The Ontario Reign had chased Landon Bow from the visitors' crease at Citizens Business Bank Arena during the second period of a deadlocked best-of-five series as Michael Amadio scored short-side on a 2-on-1 rush to give the hosts four goals on 22 shots. Trailing, 4-3, Mike McKenna - who had started ... Full Story

No resolution imminent in Voynov status; World Championships; injuries

LA Kings InsiderApril 20, 20180 Comments

InjuriesTournaments2 min read

Slava Voynov’s three-year contract with SKA concluded when the St. Petersburg club was dispatched from the Gagarin Cup playoffs by CSKA Moscow earlier this month, and the expectation is that the defenseman who left the United States while facing domestic violence charges will attempt to return to th... Full Story

Doughty clearly the Kings’ “number one priority” this off-season

LA Kings InsiderApril 20, 20180 Comments

Contracts and Finances5 min read

Joe Sargent/NHLIThe LA Kings can get in Drew Doughty’s ear and whisper their desires that he remain a King, but that essentially has already been inferred. Isn’t the greatest defenseman in franchise history’s importance to the team already crystal clear? “I don’t think we need to tell Drew that we ... Full Story