LA Kings 2015 Year in Review : Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down Edition

THUMBS UP TO THE MILAN LUCIC TRADE (AT LEAST FOR NOW)

Like the Sekera trade before it, this trade is very promising but could have a disappointing end, especially after the LA Kings traded away Calder Cup winning defenseman Colin Miller, popular backup goaltender Martin Jones (let’s be honest with ourselves people, we all knew “Joner” was going to leave as the risk of losing him to an offer sheet was extremely high (YEAH I’M POINTING AT YOU DOUG WILSON!) so let’s stop pretending like he wasn’t) and another first round draft pick to the Boston Bruins for controversial but Stanley Cup winning forward and soon to be unrestricted free agent Milan Lucic.  Like a lot of people, I wasn’t sure where I stood with this trade because like Sekera, Lucic could end up being another expensive rental player, (and his large sampled reputation as a dirty, loud mouthed, threatening your life while shaking your hand bully didn’t help either). Neither did his first game with the LA Kings when he received a match penalty for chasing and hitting the San Jose Shark Logan Couture from behind and well away from the play after Couture hit “Looch” down low but legally.  This selfishly poor decision could’ve cost Lucic and the Kings some games with a suspension but luckily for both it didn’t.  After the failed idea of putting Lucic to Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik‘s left, Lucic was placed along side Jeff Carter and Toffoli and the rest was magic.  For the first time in a couple of years, Lucic is a force to be reckoned with that even the recent injury to Carter hasn’t slowed him down.  Now if only we can get him to re-sign with the LA Kings at a discount price and stop talking about playing for Vancouver!

THUMBS DOWN TO NOT SIGNING ANZE KOPITAR TO A CONTRACT EXTENSION … AT LEAST RIGHT AWAY

I mentioned this one on our “All We Want For Christmas For The LA Kings/Ducks” article so do I even need to explain this one? Both “Kopi” and Lombardi are saying the right things by saying there is nothing to worry about and that everything is alright but if that is so … THEN WHY HASN’T KOPITAR SIGNED ALREADY???  The word on the street is that the LA Kings and Kopitar’s camp are very close to an approximate 8 year, $68 million deal ($9.75 million a season) but as the days go by, it ends up not happening. Then that rumor pops up again and rinse and repeat.  With unrestricted free agency threatening the LA Kings on the horizon, the sooner this deal gets done the better!  Unless … no I’m not going there.  Even Kopitar himself has said that he wants to stay in Los Angeles and from what I’m hearing, the stick up is over a no-trade clause, which is something “Deano” doesn’t like adding to contracts.  Whatever the case, there isn’t as much panic or speculation with these negotiations as there seems to be in Tampa right now over Steven Stamkos so I’m sure everything is truly going to be okay and Kopitar will sign on the dotted line and remain a LA King forever (or least for another 8 years), … unless … I SAID I’M NOT GOING THERE!

sportsnet.ca/590/jeff-blair-show/kopitar-the-kings-looking-to-get-back-on-top/ …

and finally …

THUMBS UP TO THE LA KINGS FINISHING 2015 IN FIRST PLACE IN THE PACIFIC DIVISION AND WITH AN 11 POINT LEAD (WHAAAAAAAAATTT???!!!)

Who’da thunk it?  If the 2014-15 season was a bizarro season for the Kings, complete with a dominant (not Larry) Murphy’s law wreaking havoc like nobodies business, the 2015-16 season has been a totally opposite animal all together!  So opposite that the King’s finished the calendar year of 2015 with a 24-11 2 record, putting them on top of the (Smythe) Pacific Division, second overall in the Western Conference and third overall in the … ENTIRE LEAGUE!  All that and with an 11 point lead (now 10 point lead as of this writing) over the second place … whoever they are! With Jonathan Quick in fine form, Toffoli and Carter making new friends with Lucic, Koptar, Brown, Shore, Trevor Lewis and the returning from injury Dwight King clicking and helping shut teams down, Tanner Pearson back to good health and Drew Doughty being the all-star defenseman and player that he always is, and don’t forget the former Monarchs, Mersch, Weal and Forbort playing regular shifts with the main team as well, this new season has been fun! Of course being in first place doesn’t guarantee another Stanley Cup (just ask the Ducks, Sharks and Canucks! ZING!) but it does help get into the playoffs where they can get the chance to do so. Soooooo all I can say is so far so good! (And after a rough year, 2015 ends with hope and happiness!)

2015 LA KING MOST VALUABLE PLAYER!!!

DREW DOUGHTY!

We all know if the LA Kings had made the playoffs, he would’ve won the Norris Trophy hands down for Best “ALL ROUND” defenseman! The lovable “Dewy” has grown from this super talented and full of potential diamond in the rough to the best and most consistently reliable clutch defenseman in the NHL today, and yes both offensively and defensively and in both the regular season and the playoffs! He has also become one the Kings’ biggest leaders both on and off the ice!

(HE DOES IT ALL! HE EVEN WEARS THAT “A” LIKE A BOSS!)

Okay Kings’ fans.  Now that we left that wretched roller coaster of a place called 2015 and are safely back in the faraway and uncertain future of 2016, what were your “Thumbs up” and “Thumbs down” and MVP for the year that was 2015? Let us know in the comments below! And whatever happens, good or bad, up or down, happy or sad in 2016, don’t fret my friends, just remember that it’ll always be GO KINGS GO FOREVER!

(but seriously “Deano”, stop playing and SIGN KOPITAR NOW!!! LIKE RIGHT NOW!!!)

*Special thanks once again to my good friend Lindsey Jones of Laj93 Productions for her awesome Bailey starring “Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down” featured picture!

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