head coach: Larry Robinson

roster: C - Josef Stumpel, Ray Ferraro, Roman Vopat, Ian LaPerriere, Yanic Perreault. LW - Luc Robitaille, Steve McKenna, Vladimir Tsyplakov, Matt Johnson, Jeff Shevalier*, Craig Johnson, Dan Bylsma. RW - Sandy Moger, Glen Murray*, Brad Smyth, Vitali Yachemenev, Pavel Rosa. D - Garry Galley, Doug Zmolek, Rob Blake, Aki Berg, Sean O'Donnell, Mattias Norstrom, Philippe Boucher, Steven Finn, Jan Vopat. G - Stephane Fiset, Jamie Storr.
*-Unsigned free agent.

injuries: None.

transactions: 06/30 - Signed left wing Sean O'Brien to a one-year contract. 07/05 - Signed free agent defenseman Garry Galley (Buffalo) to a three-year contract. 07/18 - Named Bill O'Flaherty director of player personnel; agreed to terms on a two-year contract with defenseman Mark Visheau. 07/21 - Re-signed left wing Dan Bylsma to a one-year contract. 07/24 - Re-signed left wing Vladimir Tsyplakov to a two-year contract. 07/25 - Re-signed free-agent goaltender Byron Dafoe to a two-year contract. 07/29 - Re-signed forward Glen Murray to a two-year contract and re-signed defenseman Jaroslav Modry to a one-year contract. 07/30 - Signed center Roman Vopat to a three-year contract. 08/01 - Signed center Chris Taylor to a one-year contract. 08/06 - Re-signed restricted free-agent center Yanic Perreault. 08/15 - Agreed to terms with restricted free-agent defenseman Sean O'Donnell on a one-year contract. 08/28 - Traded left wing Kevin Stevens to the New York Rangers for left wing Luc Robitaille. 08/29 - Acquired center Jozef Stumpel, right wing Sandy Moger and a 1998 fourth-round draft pick from the Boston Bruins for left wing Dimitri Khristich and goaltender Byron Dafoe. 09/05 - Signed goaltender Frederic Chabot to a two-year contract. 09/08 - Agreed to a two-year contract with a club option for a third year with restricted free-agent center Josef Stumpel; agreed to a three-year contract with restricted free agent center Ian Laperriere and a one-year contract with restricted free agent defenseman Philippe Boucher.

standings:

1996-97 FINAL RESULTS
RECORD:     
 OVERALL      28-43-11
 HOME         18-16-7
 ROAD         10-27-4        
POINTS:             67 (24th)
GOALS SCORED:      214 (25th)   
GOALS AGAINST:     268 (20th)
POWER PLAY:      13.6% (25th)
PENALTY KILLING: 87.2%  (3rd) 

game results:

PRE-SEASON RESULTS
9/14 San Jose           W 4-3  @San Diego

team news:

by Michael Dell, editor-in-chief

LUCKY LUC BACK IN LA LA LAND

Somebody give Dave Taylor a pat on the back. The new GM of the Kings has had a busy off-season, making several moves that should bode well for his team this season. The most important of which was the trading of Kevin Stevens to New York in exchange for former King and fan favorite Luc Robitaille. Lucky Luc may not score as much as he used to, but having him back in Los Angeles should create plenty of excitement in town and help generate some support for the Kings during this time of rebuilding.

OFFENSE: Stumpel to Luc... Yeehaw!

Once Taylor had Robitaille back in the fold, he needed to find a center to create scoring chances for him. With that in mind, he sent last year's leading scorer, Dimitri Khristich, along with goaltender Byron Dafoe to Boston in exchange for the talented Jozef Stumpel and winger Sandy Moger. Stumpel is a star on the rise. He enjoyed a breakthrough season last year in Boston, recording career highs in goals (21), assists (55), and points (76). Stumpel's an unbelievable stickhandler and a gifted passer that should have no problem acting as Robitaille's setup man. This duo could be lethal.

If Stumpel and Robitaille falter, the Kings are in trouble. The only other proven scorer up front is Ray Ferraro, and he's coming off his worst season in six years. Moger and Glen Murray could develop into respectable power forwards, but both have a long way to go. Moger has a nice shot, but his skating is labored. He also seems to brake a limb every season. Murray, on the other hand, has all the tools. His wrist shot is heavy, his stride is powerful, and he's capable of the individual effort. Aside from a nasty habit of missing the net on his best chances, Murray's biggest problem is confidence. If he could play up to his potential on a nightly basis, he could make an impact.

Vitali Yachmenev seemed like he'd be a future 30-goal scorer for the club when he broke in with 19 goals and 53 points during his rookie season of 1995-96. Unfortunately, his production dropped last season to 10 goals and 32 points in 65 games. He was used as a penalty killer last season and did earn his keep in that respect. But the Kings sure could use some more scoring out of him. The only other offensive contributors up front are Vladimir Tsyplakov, Kai Nurminen, and Yanic Perreault. All three have cool names, but they only combined for 41 goals last season. Each one needs to bag at least 20 this time around.

Ian Laperriere doesn't score much, but he's an aggressive checker that likes to stir things up. And when things get rough, Matt Johnson is about as big of a goon as there is in the league. Despite playing just 52 games, Johnson led the Kings with 194 penalty minutes and 17 fighting majors. He also became public enemy number one in San Jose for a cheap shot on Shark tough guy Andrei Nazarov. The feud between Johnson and Nazarov could develop into a blood bath.

DEFENSE: Wha's Up, Blake?

The key to the Los Angeles blue line is Rob Blake. When healthy, he's one of the best defensemen in the NHL. It's just that the guy is never healthy. His chronic groin problems limited him to 62 games last season, but even when he played he was nowhere near full strength. And it showed in his plus-minus where he finished at a team worst -28. If Blake isn't at full strength, the Kings are beat.

Taylor did his part to try and improve the defense by signing free agent Garry Galley away from Buffalo. Galley is an experienced, mobile defender that moves the puck extremely well. He should help a King power play that finished 25th in the league last season. He's also a leader in the room. Don't be surprised to see him wear an "A".

The Kings do have two other blueliners with talent in Mattias Norstrom and Philippe Boucher. Norstrom is mobile skater and a pretty good all-around defensemen. He could be one of the most underrated guys in the league. But if he wants to get more attention, he has to score more than the one goal he potted last season. With Norstrom's skills, he could easily chip in eight to ten a year. Boucher lit the lamp seven times last season in 60 games and could move into the 10-15 goal neighborhood this year. He has an absolute bomb from the point.

Sean O'Donnell had five goals and 17 points last season, but scoring really isn't his bag. He's known more for his physical game. O'Donnell is always eager to drop the gloves and stand up for his mates. He had ten fights and 144 penalty minutes in his 55 games. Doug Zmolek posted similar numbers, punching his way to 12 fighting majors and 116 penalty minutes in 57 games.

The club is hoping that former first-rounder Aki Berg continues to develop into the steady defender he showed signs of becoming last season. He's starting to progress quite nicely. He also is another King with a cool name. It's impossible to say it without sounding like Ernie of Sesame Street fame. Go ahead and try... Aki Berg, Aki Berg, Aki Berg.

GOALTENDING: Fiset First Rate

The Kings will be solid in net as long as Stephane Fiset stays healthy. The former second-round pick of the Quebec Nordiques (1987) proved that he's more than capable of providing the Kings with excellent starting goaltending during his time between the pipes last season. A variety of injuries kept him from reaching his full potential, tho', and his season was cut short by an abdominal injury. Fiset had surgery over the summer to repair the damage and is already back to 100%.

The departure of Dafoe means that Jamie Storr will be Fiset's backup this season. Storr was selected by the Kings in the first round of the 1994 Draft and opened some eyes with three very strong showings at the end of last season. He should be capable of handling the gig.

GEE, THAT'S SWELL

* Robitaille is back in town.

* Stumpel is a good young talent.

* Fiset is a legitimate number one netminder.

TROUBLE

* The club barely has enough offensive talent to fill one line, let alone four.

* Blake has a slight injury problem.

* The club is still wearing the lame black and silver uniforms and not the pimp smooth purple and yellow threads of days gone by.

1997-98 OUTLOOK: Robitaille and Stumpel should create some excitement, and Fiset will be fun to watch in net, but the Kings are still a mess. Unless they somehow find two more lines of NHL talent, it could be a long season in L.A. At least Dave Taylor has shown he has what it takes to get this team back on track. It'll take a while, tho'.

PREDICTION: Sixth in the Pacific and out of the playoffs.

[ issues | web extra | stats | nhl archive | home | chat | mailing list | about us | search | comments ]

1997 © Copyright LCS Hockey All Rights Reserved