Los Angeles Kings Must Restore Team Identity Without Key Forwards

January 15th, 2015 by Vinh Cao Leave a reply »

On Saturday night, the Los Angeles Kings’ forward corps underwent a sea change.

Youngsters Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson, who have combined for 24 of the club’s 123 goals this season, are out indefinitely with mononucleosis and a fractured left fibula, respectively.

This represents a significant blow to a team in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race (20-14-10, third in the Pacific Division), but the Kings may also find a silver lining to these losses.

While L.A. will surely miss their contributions, shuffling the roster and demanding more from its veterans could right a ship that was skating by on a hot-and-cold power play.

Now is the time for the Kings to dig their heels in and reassert their gritty, fundamentally sound game.

 

Blue-Collar Offense



There are no two ways about it: The Kings attack will be less creative without Toffoli and Pearson.

Both 22-year-olds add a dynamism to the offense that had largely been absent prior to their arrivals as full-time NHLers. Toffoli is a crafty winger with great finish, whe ...

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