Frozen Fury/Other Thoughts

We are into the one month countdown until Frozen Fury in Las Vegas. I am very much looking forward to the experience. There are going to be plenty of Kings fans there, and as "The Converted King", I feel the need to mingle with them as much as possible as I try to find the pulse of this fanbase.

In Detroit as a Wings fan, I have always known that if they did not win the Cup, the season was a failure. In Los Angeles, the fans seem thrilled merely at the prospect of a playoff berth. I find this to be quite a low standard, given the fact that an 8th seed is not that difficult to obtain. The Kings have one of the best defensive units in the league (on paper), and a group of immensely talented young forwards. Barring significant setbacks due to injury, not even the goaltending woes of this team will keep them out of the playoffs this season. Where the Kings go from there is another story, but for the record, I predict a first round upset this season. LA will get bounced in 5 games in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Kings need merely competent goaltending and a reasonable spell of good health to be an absolute lock for the playoffs. They are going to score goals and limit opportunities on the other end. Jack Johnson is going to face a difficult learning curve, but is as equipped as anybody to handle it. It will be interesting to see who he is paired with. There is a preseason Calder buzz for Jack, which was to be expected whenever he finally made the jump to the National Hockey League. In many ways, Jack is the key to the defense. Everyone knows what Blake, Visnovsky, and Stuart are capable of. Preissing is no slouch, either. The only real wildcard in the bunch is the rookie.

Jack has never been afraid of making mistakes on the ice. He plays the game with ferocity and relies on his instincts. While this may open the door for errors, the positve outcome fair outweighs the negative. The game is always entertaining with Jack on the ice, and while his dominance of years past will be difficult to attain at the highest level, he will no doubt be a force sooner rather than later.

As I've mentioned before, a trio of Cammalleri/Frolov/Kopitar represents one of the most dynamic units in the NHL. Michael Handzus is going to be an asset on this team.

Dan Cloutier has given his team average goaltending in the past, and that is all this team needs to get into the playoffs. If he flounders, Jason LaBarbera should be able to take his place.