All We Want For The New Year Is …

Jeff Duarte

All I Want for the New Year is…for Sutter to Stop Being so Stubborn and Call Up Michael Mersch and Other Youth from Ontario. 

(photo credit to vancouversun.com)

Except for Jeff Carter, who is basically this season’s version of Superman for the Kings, the Kings are struggling to score. As of this writing, Carter sits on top of the Kings’ stats chart with 19 goals. The next two in line are Tanner Pearson and the injured Tyler Toffoli with 8 each. After that are defenseman Alec Martinez with 6 and Drew Doughty tied with 5 with forwards Trevor Lewis and Dwight King. That is NOT a lot a goals, especially considering that the Kings are 36 games into the current season.

Dustin Brown only has 4 goals, as does Nic Dowd. Anze Kopitar is stuck at 3. Gaborik only has 1 since his return from breaking his foot at the World Cup of Hockey in September. Sure, the injury epidemic that Emily mentioned previously is wreaking havoc but we also need to be realistic about what is going on with this team and the type of players that are currently on it. They just don’t have the horses that can score a lot of goals. As much as we love and respect Lewis and Kyle Clifford because they play with their heart on their sleeve and always give 100%, they won’t get 10 goals by the end of the year. As much as we’re rooting for Brown and “feel good story of the year” Devin Setoguchi, they probably won’t hit the double-digit goal mark either. Kopitar is still a defensive force, but is struggling mightily in offense (and the face off circle) this year. So if we need more goals, where are the goals gonna come from?

Well, that’s easier said then done but before Dean Lombardi blows up the team with some trades, (which have NOT worked out in the Kings’ favor the last couple of years), the Kings need Darryl Sutter to swallow his stubborn pride and habit of not wanting to give young players a chance and just go with veterans that he trusts, and allow the Kings to bring up some more hungry youth from the Ontario Reign. More specifically, Michael Mersch. Lombardi listens to and respects what Sutter has to say, so Sutter needs to wake up and do what is necessary so Lombardi can do the same.

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t think bringing up Mersch is going to automatically solve the Kings’ offensive woes, but it definitely won’t hurt them either and what do they have to lose, considering losing is exactly what they are doing at the moment. Give Mersch a chance. He has been NHL ready since the end of the 2014-15 season when he and the Manchester Monarchs won the Calder Cup and he is a big body that loves to crash the net, play around the net and screen the sight of goaltenders. No one on the Kings’ roster right now is doing that, and no one has since Milan Lucic left last summer to go play with Connor McDavid in Edmonton.

I can already see it. Put Brown back on the third line with Dowd because they have already shown that there is chemistry there and the chemistry disappears when they are separated, so put them back together, get rid of some non scoring dead weight by sending Setoguchi, (who has a two-way contract), down to Ontario and put Mersch on that line. It is almost too obvious.

For that to work, of course, we need Sutter to be less stubborn and obsessed with guys like Nick Shore, Jordan Nolan (who ironically is playing well but for how long?), Dwight King, Setoguchi and Andy Andreoff, all of whom can barely find the back of the net. Bring up Michael Mersch and let him adapt to the NHL already and see what happens. Heck, get rid of some more dead weight and bring up Jonny Brodzinski and Adrian Kempe too, (imagine Kempe playing on a line with Kopitar?!?!)

Like I said, what do you have to lose since the team is losing already? Maybe like in 2012, when King and Nolan were brought up, and in 2014, when Toffoli and Pearson were brought up, they created a youthful spark that plugged some holes that were hurting the team but they also added a depth that completed the team fully. It’s time to plug those holes again so the offensive depth of this team can improve and the puck can find the back of the net again. Wake up Sutter and do the right thing before it’s too late to salvage this season. #FreeMersch

Well what did you think of our New Year’s Wish List? Do you agree, disagree or have any wishes of your own for the Kings and the Ducks in 2017? If so, let us know in the comments below! And Happy New Year everyone!

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