For L.A. Fans, the hype was short lived as Kings general manager Dean Lombardi recently told reporters that despite his best efforts, he was unable to get Kovalchuk to commit to Tinseltown.
With the addition of Kovalchuk the L.A. Kings would have been one of the favorites to win Lord Stanley's Cup in 2010-11; without him there are still doubts about their offense and about the teams long-term drawing power.
From the outside looking in, even without the addition of Kovalchuk, the Kings are looking good for the 2010-11 season and, with a few tweaks, should be in the running for the Stanley Cup.
According to capgeek.com the Kings have a total of 16 players signed for the upcoming 2010-11 season, with $17,526,666 in cap room with which to sign six players.
Up front the Kings boast a nice collection of grit, scoring prowess, leadership and skill with the likes of Anze Kopitar, Ryan Smyth, Michal Handzus, Dustin Brown, Wayne Simmonds, Justin Williams and Jarret Stoll in the mix.
On defense the Kings boast one of the best core of young defensemen in the business with the likes of Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Matt Greene, and veteran Rob Scuderi all in the fold.
Goaltenders Jonathan Quick and Erik Ersberg round out a roster that is on the rise and more than capable of having a very successful regular season and making a long run in the playoffs.
The Kings also feature a huge stable of up and coming talent. Prospects Brayden Schenn (F), Oscar Moller (F), Colten Teubert (D), Davis Drewiske (D), Scott Parse (F)Thomas Hickey (D) Jonathan Bernier (G) and Andrei Lokitionov and the Kings 2010 NHL Entry Draft pick Derek Forbert (D) are as talented as they come, with many of them expected to compete for a roster spot as early as this year.
Needless to say, the Kings organi...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
