Kings not taking the summer off

Reflecting on the past season, the moves that GM Lemyre didn’t do cost him a round or 2 more in the playoffs.  Not looking at upgrading the no. 1 goalie spot hurt him. The organization still believe in Jonathan Bernier but he might not be a true no. 1 right now, like they were expected from him to be at the inaugural draft.  Now came the big trade.  Some might have argued that the then prospect Shane Gostisbehere has been selecting too early in the 11^th round but the Florida native really matured well and now, he just allowed the Kings to get their number 1 goalie they were seeking for a while in Martin Jones.  The trade is still waiting for the league approval but it looks like, according the league forum, it’s just a formality.  The Kings also got a great prospect in Michael Matheson. The Pointe-Claire, Quebec native might not meet Gostisbehere offensive numbers in the future but he will surely be a solid top 4 defenseman for the 2017 season.

The Kings has 2 major free agents looking for a new contract in Andrei Markov and Jaromir Jagr.  Markov was a quiet leader in the locker room since he was drafted by the Kings in the 6^th round at the inaugural draft. He finished with 69 points in 2015-16 with 15 PPG playing 24:39 minutes. Jagr is now 44 years young, yes young, was also great with the younger players.  Playing on the top line with Toews and Nyquist, Jagr had 7 PPG while creating more room on the ice for his teammates.  The Kings had already beginning talks with these 2 unrestricted free agents to get them back again for another season.

Getting Coach Boudreau really help the team getting a good structure in last year. While it will be his final year under his 2 year-contract, the team will do their best again to ice a very competitive team.  Getting kicked out in 4 games against the Canucks didn’t go to well with GM Lemyre. Just like the year before against Dallas, they got beaten by a hot goaltender.  Next season (and for next 10 years), it shouldn’t be a problem.

The team is still solid upfront with Toews and Bergeron in the middle.  Nyquist and Filppula on the wings should bring enough support on the offense. The organization should try to get some help in trading some quality defenseman in the system.  Burns-Klein-Tanev-Ericsson represent a solid top 4 with Lovejoy that could step in when needed, they will welcome some decent depth in Dumoulin and Pateryn from its farm team in Ontario.  In net, Jones should form a great tandem with Korpisalo who had a great season with the Reign with a 7-1-1 record on a poor team.

For those who were looking for some news about Somethin Wong.  He never came back with the team but we know he is still in Canada. We can’t just locate right now.  Last time we spoke to him, he was meeting someone at the Vancouver seaport picking up his green package.  The phone line was breaking up and it suddenly went dead...Will keep you updated !

Enjoy the summer guys!