Lessons Learned from Kings' Championship 10th Anniversary
As the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers clash in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, I would be remiss if I didn't look back a decade at Los Angeles's last championship win. The Los Angeles Kings have yet to win a single playoff round following the two championships. They have won seven games in five playoff rounds (1 vs. SJS 2015-16, 0 vs. VGK 2017-18, 3 vs. EDM 2021-22, 2 vs. EDM 2022-23, 1 vs. EDM 2023-24). The last three rounds might be the more critical aspect to overhaul. The Kings were dispatched by the same team three years in a row.
Looking back at the design and build, we see it represents an entirely different design of the current roster and the change in the National Hockey League.
Here are the three moves made by then General Manager Dean Lombardi to 'set the table' for the team to be able to climb to the top of the mountain.
Lombardi trades for Matt Greene and Jarret Stoll
In 2008, the Kings traded defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for center Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene. Stoll spent time at 2C and later became their shutdown center due to his exceptional skill at draws. Greene would anchor the third defensive pair and be a beast along the walls and in the blue paint.
Stoll scored the overtime winner in game five vs the President Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks to get the Kings past the first round en route to their first Stanley Cup win.
Green would wear the 'A' for the Kings during the first championship. Greene is known as an 'all-time' level teammate and was rumored to have kept the team together during the trashcan lockout of Darryl Sutter's incident in Tampa Bay. On Spittin' Chiclets, Mike Richards went on to confirm that and rank Greene as one of the best teammates he ever had.
Greene played nine seasons in LA, culminating in 464 GP, 16 G - 51 A - 67 P, + 21, with 458 PIMs
Mr. Game Seven comes to LA
In 2009, the Kings acquired Justin Williams for Patrick O'Sullivan and the Calgary Flames' second-round draft pick. During his tenure, Williams became a Kings and NHL legend while developing pivotal chemistry with Anze Kopitar.
Williams started to collect points in game sevens with LA in a hurry. He registered two goals against San Jose in 2013 during the second round, an assist again vs. San Jose in 2014, added with a goal and an assist against Anaheim, and finished with another goal and an assist against Chicago in what could possibly be the greatest game the franchise had seen to date.
2010 free agent signing of Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell was coming off a final season with the Vancouver Canucks in which it was unclear if he would continue pro hockey after a brutal hit caused a concussion from Evgeni Malkin. Kings were taking a risk, but management felt he would make an impact on and off the ice, "It also gives you more confidence that he really is symptom-free and, even more importantly, we are getting are getting a really special character player," --Lombardi
The move would pay dividends. Mitchell would become the second defensive pair anchor alongside young Slava Voynov during the 2012 and 2014 championship years. He was a 3.5 million dollar defenseman who logged difficult minutes and could play against the opposing team's top six regularly and with ease.
The Mitchell move wouldn't be the last, as Lombardi made the controversial move for Mike Richards from Philadelphia. Two championships were won, but the falling out with Richards, coupled with the Voynov incident, marked the end of the championship era.
To fast-forward to the present day, I look at the timing of 'setting the table' with Rob Blake. The Kings, under Blake, added Alexander Edler, Phillip Danault, and Viktor Arvidsson in an offseason in which they were expected to miss the postseason the coming season.
They surprised many people in hockey, making the playoffs and forcing the Oilers to a game seven, in which the last vintage Jonathan Quick performance in a King's uniform was seen.
Seeing that the team had the opportunity to advance to the second round, being up three games to two in that series, Blake continued to dive deeper.
Credit Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Fiala was acquired. The Kings failed to advance again.
Pierre-Luc Dubois was acquired the following offseason. Thrice, they failed to advance.
There's no positive outcome when comparing the championship team builds to now. The league is much different. What is important is setting the table to get the team into position to challenge for a deep run.
The 10th anniversary is a polarizing reminder of the accurate, timely moves made (08, 09, 10) before they hosted a parade. Has Blake replicated this process? Or acted too hastily when the roster had not yet been set.