from Jared Clinton of The Hockey News,

So, what is the way forward for the Kings? As it pertains to this season, there may not be one. That’s not to say the Kings are destined to lose their remaining 74 games, but to suggest that Los Angeles simply isn’t going to be much more than a mid-table outfit with some glaring holes. The Kings may very well recover from this and capture a wild-card berth. Los Angeles could instead fall a few points short and continue their pattern of being an on-again, off-again playoff team. This isn’t a team so bereft of talent that it’s going to wind up at the bottom of the Western Conference, however. Kovalchuk, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Jeff Carter and Dustin Brown all but ensure that won’t be the case.

But that brings with it its own set of problems. By staying in the mix, by continuing to be a team in the mushy middle, the Kings have continued to give themselves false hope about where they stand in the NHL hierarchy. That leads to off-season moves like adding a high-priced veteran scorer, or in-season moves like acquiring the final three-plus seasons of Dion Phaneuf’s contract, which would seem to indicate Los Angeles believes they’re only a piece or two away from contention.

That’s exactly the mentality the Kings need to do away with, though, because it hasn’t done them a lick of good. First and foremost, continuing to chase veteran players has only added to the lack of team speed. Kovalchuk can still score, to be sure, but he’s no longer the burner he once was. Phaneuf has never been confused with the most fleet of foot defensemen, either.

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