NHL Preview: LA Kings

Charlie Boccanegra previews the LA Kings, a team on the way back to glory.

The Los Angeles Kings are coming off consecutive seasons where they have made the playoffs but were unable to get out of the first round. This season they are expected to take a step to the next level. Expectations have not been this high since the Gretzky days in the mid 1990s.

NHL betting sees the Kings as favorites in the Pacific Division at +150, even over the San Jose Sharks. In addition, they view their chances of winning the Cup to be on par with veteran NHL teams in San Jose & Detroit at +1200. So what have the Kings done in order to put themselves in this place?

During the offseason GM Dean Lombardi made some significant moves to improve the offense, the weakest part of the team last year, by bringing in veteran forwards Mike Richards and Simon Gagne from the Flyers. This will help take some pressure off Anze Kopitar (potential top 10 in scoring) and Dustin Brown, the Kings’ best young forwards and who have led the team in past years.

In order for the Kings to live up to these lofty expectations it will require the secondary offensive forwards in Dustin Penner, Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams to play up to their potential. Otherwise this team will not score enough goals to compete with the elite teams in the Western Conference.

The Kings’ strength lies in their defense, one of the best in the NHL. It all starts with their two young stud defenders in Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson, both of whom have Norris Trophy potential due to their physical style of hockey combined with their offensive contributions.

The rest of the D has some solid veterans in Rob Scuderi and Willie Mithcell who are two of the better stay at home shut down defenders in the NHL. Plus, Matt Greene is always underrated because he brings a bit of everything to the table.

Combine that solid defensive core with one of the best young goalies in Jonathan Quick. If he can continue to improve and become more consistent, playing like he did against the Sharks in the playoffs last season, the Kings could have one of the lowest GAA’s in the league.

I would be inclined to look at the unders when it comes to betting on the Kings in the NHL. Especially early in the season when it may take the new forwards some time to jell together and get up to speed. Also, when the Kings are on the road look for them to play a more conservative style of hockey, which generally means lower scoring.

I don’t believe there is a ton of value in betting the Kings to win the Cup at 12:1 because other teams in the same price range are projected to finish with more regular season points. A more solid wager would be to take the Kings OVER the 102.5 regular season points because I do believe they will improve but not enough to win the Cup this season.