Post by Los Angeles Kings on Nov 14, 2024 18:42:38 GMT -6
18 games into the regular season and the struggle in Los Angeles is about to get REAL. On the ice, the Kings have been mediocre with 8 wins, 8 losses and 2 OT losses with a +9 goal differential. However, they are largely snake bitten, sitting at the highest shots for in the league at 641 and 3rd overall in shots per game at 37.28. They are 7th in goals per game at 4.22 led by Sean Couturier (30 pts) and Jake Guentzel (30 pts). The power play sits at 23rd overall at 20.62%, while the PK sits at 15th at 78.64%.
In net, Connor Hellebuyck has been, well average, sitting at a 0.890 save percentage in 12 games, good for 14th in the PFHL, and an atrocious 3.82 GAA. Backup Alexandar Georgiev has outshone Hellebuyck with a 0.899 save percentage in 6 games and a 3.17 GAA. It's almost as if there has been a distraction clouding the team in recent weeks.
Off the ice, the big news is the impending doom of the forthcoming offseason. Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar, whos' been a part of the Kings organization since the PFHL inception has made it known that he intends to go to unrestricted free agency. Following him is star forward Jake Guentzel, and bruising forward Julien Gauthier. Star center Sean Couturier is reportedly asking for a 10.6M contract for 2 years. The team has turned down his offer and intend to let him walk to free agency. If you're keeping count, that's the Kings' 3 best players that are leaving the team following this season.
Where do the Kings go from here? This is definitely shaping up to be a "last hurrah" for the team in its current form. Head coach Peter DeBoer is in the hot seat and rumors are swirling regarding forwards Evgeny Kuznetsov and Beck Malenstyn, as they both have had a slow start. Fans are understandably restless, and patience is running thin. If the team's effort doesn't translate into results soon, expect shakeups.
