NHL Power Rankings Week One: Capitals, Lightning, Predators, And Ducks Are Favorites

Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

NHL Power Rankings: #15 – Los Angeles Kings

The Kings had a very rough season last year. Almost everything that could have gone wrong for them went wrong. They should rebound and be right back in the mix to win another Stanley Cup.

STRENGTHS: The Kings have a lot of talent. Anze Kopitar is one of the best two-way centers in the league. Marian Gaborik is one of the most underrated scorers in the league. Milan Lucic is going to score and he’s going to wreck people on the forecheck. Drew Doughty is one of the favorites to win the Norris Trophy. Tyler Tofolli should help the Kings replace Justin Williams. Christian Ehrhoff was a solid depth signing and should help their blue line. Alec Martinez and Jake Muzzin should help the Kings overcome the loss of Slava Voynov.

WEAKNESSES: Jonathan Quick isn’t an elite goaltender. He is a goalie who has an extremely good team in front of him. He’s coming off a very rough year and needs to have a bounceback season for the Kings to advance in the playoffs. Dustin Brown has gone from “really good” to “terrible” in a very short period of time. That’s very concerning. The blue line is also largely unproven. They need guys to step it up this year.

OUTLOOK: Don’t bet against the Kings. They’ve done enough to return to the playoffs. If they miss the playoffs again, big changes could be coming.

Next: #14