The Los Angeles Kings made arguably the biggest move out of any NHL team heading into the 2023-24 season trading for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and re-signing him to a massive eight-year contract extension. Since he joined the team, he has been severely underwhelming and his lack of strong defensive play has seemingly caught the eye of head coach Todd McLellan who has placed him in the bottom six forward group multiple times. For a team that planned on going all-in heading into this new season, the Kings are struggling to stay afloat and are seen as a bubble playoff team that could very well miss the postseason if they don’t pick up their game.
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At the time of this article, the Kings currently sit in the top wild card spot in the Western Conference with games in hand on the Nashville Predators who are in the second spot. With a 22-14-9 record, the Kings are by no means one of the Stanley Cup favorites heading into the All-Star Break. Following their horrific 5-3 loss to the struggling Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday (Jan. 24), both star defenceman Drew Doughty and head coach Todd McLellan had some strong words directed towards themselves and their recent struggles having lost 12 of their last 14 matchups leading to questions about their internal issues.
“That’s unacceptable. We’re up 3-1. We’re maybe not playing our best, but the stupidity that went into that loss is unexplainable…I haven’t until now been able to come in and say, ‘Boy, we played really dumb.’ And that’s what we did.”
– Head coach Todd McLellan (McLellan blasts Kings: ‘Stupidity that went into that loss is unexplainable’)
For a head coach to call out his team like that really says something about where the Kings’ morale is at right now. Based on what he said, it’s fair to assume his leash is short on several players who have been underperforming and while some may wonder whether McLellan’s job may be in jeopardy, Kings’ general manager Rob Blake recently gave McLellan a vote of confidence, shutting down any rumors for the time being.
McLellan wasn’t the only one with comments after the game as Doughty also had some fierce words for his teammates that he believes haven’t been focused on the team, but instead on themselves and their points.
“We’ve got guys in this room that are too worried about themselves, worried about their points…we had a 3-1 lead tonight, and guys started thinking it was a cookie night. We stopped playing the way we know how to play, had an awful second period and aren’t much better in the third.”
– Drew Doughty (Kings’ Doughty rips teammates after loss: ‘It’s about the team, not about yourself’)
Doughty’s words have sent waves through the league as they spell out that there is some sort of issue with the Kings internally right now. If they are unable to get back on track fast, they will miss the playoffs and find themselves in a really bad spot heading into the 2024-25 season with all that money locked into Dubois.
What’s Next for the Kings?
It would make sense for the Kings to make a move or two before the deadline so that they can bolster their roster and have a better shot in the postseason if they’re able to squeeze in. They’ll need to solve their internal issues before they can do anything more though, as any more issues could ruin their chance at a playoff spot.
The Kings will be looking to bounce back from their brutal loss to the Sabres but face a much tougher opponent in the Colorado Avalanche on Friday (Jan. 26) night. If they can take them down and have a win against a Stanley Cup favorite under their belt, they can build some momentum and hopefully begin climbing their way back up the standings before things get any worse.