2016 Pool Projections: Los Angeles

If it wasn't for an excellent core group of players, the Los Angeles Kings would be in dire straits at this point in their organizational cycle.  A top end starting goalie, a number one centre that can play a full 200-foot game, a defenseman that can play 30+ minutes a game, and a captain that leads by taking the body, as much as he does grind it out in front of the net.

There was a bit of tinkering done to the look of this team, some very key players to previous championships were on their way out for various reasons and the Kings enlisted the help of another player with a championship ring, who plays in the style of Darryl Sutter.

The real questions about this team lie in the depth, as the top players should be relied upon to be the top players, the depth will have to be responsible for a lot as well.  This team has been bringing up quality talent through their system and the 2016 season will definitely be a test of how the depth responds.

From a hockey pool perspective, the Kings are one of those teams that aim to win games through grinding down the opponent, taking care of their own end first.  That generally means that scoring isn't the highest priority and blow-outs are few and far between.  The Kings scorers will pick up points, but I don't expect anything big from these guys, except for their goaltending.

Player	Pos	15/16 Proj	Rookie
Jonathan Quick	G	80
Anze Kopitar	F	65
Tyler Toffoli	F	60
Jeff Carter	F	55
Drew Doughty	D	55
Marian Gaborik	F	50
Milan Lucic	F	45
Jake Muzzin	D	40
Dustin Brown	F	35
Tanner Pearson	F	35
Alec Martinez	D	30
Dwight King	F	25
Trevor Lewis	F	25
Brayden McNabb	D	20
Kyle Clifford	F	20
Jamie McBain	D	15
Jhonas Enroth	G	10
Jordan Nolan	F	10
Matt Greene	D	10
Nick Shore	F	5
Andy Andreoff	F	5
Jeff Schultz	D	5

Table last updated on August 10th

Most Intriguing or Breakout Player

I think with the changes that have been made to the Los Angeles Kings' lineup these days, we might see a real breakout season from forward Tyler Toffoli, who I think can move past his career-best, which he set last season (49 points) and clear it substantially.

With players like Justin Williams, Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll moving on from the active roster, there is going to be a positive youth movement in the lineup and it will be kids like Toffoli that benefit.  Sure, Toffoli plays the wing and it's a couple of centres that have taken off, but it's just the beginning.

With his play last season, I think Toffoli is the top candidate for a promotion in the lines and it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff sees his position in the coming season, who he plays with and when.

First Round Picks

Jonathan Quick is a bonafide 1st round pick this pool, no doubt.  His 80-point projection is fairly reasonable to attain, while the goalie market has been flooding the opening round of the draft for a couple years now.  Last year, Quick was the 14th overall pick, taken by Grant S., which helped him to a 2nd place finish in the year, despite the Kings missing the playoffs.

Other Pool Worthy Forwards

The Kings do have some scoring punch in their lineup, heading into training camp, but the Sutter style of play has stifled the offense to a certain degree.  Anze Kopitar should be a 2nd round pick, if you're talking in an all-around sense, but scoring wise, in this offense, his projections have him dropping off a little bit.  Still pool worthy, but maybe not quite as great.

Jeff Carter and Marian Gaborik will be looked upon as trigger men again this year, while newcomer Milan Lucic will have a pretty full dance card and will need to contribute offensively, as well.  A couple more Kings, Dustin Brown and Tanner Pearson, should also feature in one way or another this season, as their projections should keep them in the fringe.

Other Pool Worthy Defense

A very solid trio highlights the Kings blueline, all three would be expected to go among the early defenders in the pool, as the workhorse, Drew Doughty, has some real upside to his game, while Jake Muzzin was very good last year and Alec Martinez missed some time last year, but still put up some reasonable numbers.  Brayden McNabb made an appearance in the pool last season and he should still be considered a fringe defender for the coming year.

Goaltending Situation

Jonathan Quick has some new help behind him, as the Kings shored up their crease, following the departure of Martin Jones, replacing him with former Sabres & Stars keeper last year, Jhonas Enroth.  Enroth was looking like a guy who was ready for some number one minutes, but he won't see nearly as many of those, unless the unforeseen happens.  If that does happen, however, Enroth is certainly good enough to be the guy that carries the load.

Possible Entries Into the Rookie Race

Looking at how the team is configured at the moment, it's hard to see where a rookie would fit into this roster.  The Kings cupboards aren't exactly stocked either, although they are high on 2014 1st round pick, Adrian Kempe.  I don't see the Kings contributing here, but it's still early days and anything can happen.

Team To Pick From Late?

Los Angeles wasn't quite known as the team that could score at any point from anyone last season and under Sutter, they will continue to grind out games for wins.  The Kings likely won't be the most popular team to pick from, even in the early rounds, so there might be some players left from those rounds to pick late, but I wouldn't really dig deep into their depth for help.

Unsigned Players and Salary Cap

The Kings are all signed up, finished with their restricted free agents and moving forward with the group that they have on paper today.

I really shouldn't have said that there is no room for rookies, because there are a couple spots left to fill, but the team has been developing some grinding talent, who I would imagine will fill those spots.  Nevertheless, with three or four spots open, the Kings still have about $7.2 million to spend under the ceiling, which will give them lots of flexibility.  The unrestricted free agent market isn't very deep at this point in the Summer, so they might be in it to win it, come the trade deadline, assuming they're nice and close.