Kings Rumors: Secondary Scoring Is Being Targeted

The Los Angeles Kings are where they normally are in the standings, hanging around the second or third spot in their division. Making the playoffs hasn't typically been an issue, but doing anything when they get there has. Each season, it seems to be something different that they come up short with against the Edmonton Oilers, but as we're only 30 games into the season, there's no guarantee that the Kings play the Oilers in the first round of the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.

Regardless of who the Kings may play in the playoffs, if they get there, the team has needs that need to be addressed. David Pagnotta said, "They just haven't gotten the additional secondary scoring they thought they were gonna have, and that's primarily what they're looking at right now."

The three players who have carried the offense are Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, and Quinton Byfield, while Anze Kopitar's offensive numbers have fallen off a bit with just six goals and 15 points in 29 games, and many others aren't playing up to par.

One of the biggest disappointments this season has been Phillip Danault, who has five assists in 29 games and is averaging 1:28 on the power play per game. According to Pagnotta, "There was some chatter a few weeks ago that maybe that was something that...the Kings might explore." While Kopitar is retiring after this season and Byfield will be the number one center, Danault costs too much for another year on his contract for what he isn't contributing on offense.

Joel Armia and Corey Perry have surprisingly combined for 14 goals this season and aren't signed for very much, but beyond that, players like Warren Foegele, Andrei Kuzmenko, and Trevor Moore aren't doing what is expected of them. There is room to add up front for the Kings and they absolutely need depth scoring to get to where they want to be, as their stars aren't elite and cannot carry the team.