from Katie Strang of ESPN,

"No one expected them to miss the playoffs," one Western Conference player said.

If it were just a matter of the two points by which the Kings missed the playoffs, Los Angeles general manager Dean Lombardi would lose less sleep. But there is so much more to digest -- and not just on the ice.

Defenseman Slava Voynov was arrested in October and charged with felony domestic assault against his wife, prompting the NHL to suspend him indefinitely. He is currently awaiting trial. In April, veteran leader Jarret Stoll was arrested on a drug charge, accused of possessing cocaine and MDMA, during an unofficial end-of-season trip to Las Vegas with several teammates.

They were unrelated incidents, likened only by the fact that Lombardi wishes, desperately, he could've done more to prevent them. And for a team that has always emphasized the concept of family, they were significant blows among many that sidetracked the defending Stanley Cup champions.

As the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning battle for hockey supremacy in this year's Stanley Cup finals, Lombardi repeatedly asks himself: Were there warning signs? Should we have seen this coming? What could we have done to prevent this from happening?

And he has been tormented by these thoughts.

"This is my fault," he said.

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