LOS ANGELES — In the first story of this early Los Angeles Kings 2021 National Hockey League Draft Preview series, we looked at the formidable obstacles and challenges that faced amateur scouting staffs for all NHL teams in evaluating prospects around the world while we are all still fighting to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. In... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — Last year, the National Hockey League regular season was abruptly halted, like virtually everything else, by the COVID-19 pandemic, following games played on March 11, 2020, when the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Ottawa Senators, 3-2, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. As reported in this space on July 3, 2020, prior... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — When we last left this off-and-on series focusing on former Los Angeles Kings star right wing and former general manager Dave Taylor, we looked at his time with the Kings during the 1980s, especially the time he spent playing on one of the greatest forward lines in National Hockey League history, the... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — On May 14, the day after the Los Angeles Kings played their final game of the COVID-19-abbreviated 2020-21 regular season, another dismal, blowout loss to the Colorado Avalanche, their veteran core spoke with the local media about their season, as well as the future of the team. “Just being in the mix... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — After being selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2017 National Hockey League Draft, center prospect Drake Rymsha was mostly on the outside looking in, spending more time with the Manchester Monarchs and the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL than he did with the... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — He waited until the end of the game to do it, but it didn’t come on a heroic, last-second, game-winning scoring play. Instead, the Los Angeles Kings were holding on to a one-goal lead when they scored an empty-net goal to insure victory. Indeed, Kings center Anze Kopitar reached the 1,000-point plateau—only... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — On April 26, Los Angeles Kings center prospect Quinton Byfield was added to the taxi squad from the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League, giving fans some hope that he will get a shot at making his National Hockey League debut soon. 18-year-old Byfield, who was selected by the Kings in... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — On April 12, the Los Angeles Kings signed left wing Alex Iafallo to a four-year contract extension valued at $4 million/year (average annual value). A bit surprisingly, there has been some criticism of this deal, with the belief that Iafallo should not have been signed for that much money, that he is... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — Apparently, young center Gabe Vilardi has played his way back into the good graces of the Los Angeles Kings coaching staff. Head coach Todd McLellan indicated that Vilardi will return to the number two center position tonight (March 29), when the Kings skate against the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas. “That... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — 26 games into the 2021 National Hockey League season, the Los Angeles Kings are an improved team over last year, but in an abbreviated season filled with games against division rivals—all four-point games—so far, that improvement has not been enough to get them into the top four in the standings—playoff contention. Frozen... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — He didn’t score a goal or contribute an assist, but Los Angeles Kings rookie center Rasmus Kupari put in a solid, if not spectacular, performance in his National Hockey League debut in a 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on March 5 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The 20-year-old... Continue Reading →
LOS ANGELES — Last season, his second in the American Hockey League, Austin Strand received virtually no attention, in terms of his development, not to mention his potential for becoming a full-fledged National Hockey League defenseman prospect. The 23-year-old native of Calgary, Alberta went undrafted, and was signed by the Kings as a free agent... Continue Reading →
