Five questions about the Kings heading into training camp

By Curtis Zupke

Sept. 11, 2017 5 PM PT

Luc Robitaille, Kings president, put it best when he addressed the state of the franchise to season-ticket holders last month.

“We understand that we need to change some things,” Robitaille said.

He spoke to fans who watched the Kings too often look like a team that struggled to adapt to today’s game that emphasizes speed, active defense and bodies in front of the net. They were a horse-and-buggy offense in a Ferrari-driven league. They were shut out or scored one goal in 25 losses, and their best offensive player down the stretch was then 39-year-old Jarome Iginla.

Out went coach Darryl Sutter and general manager Dean Lombardi. In their place come coach John Stevens and general manager Rob Blake, who were promoted from within and are quite amenable about opening up the style of play.

Robitaille in July took the unusual step of writing an open letter to fans to let them know the regime is committed to contending again.

The new era begins Wednesday, when the Kings open training camp in El Segundo with five questions looming.

1. Will the new philosophy take shape right away?

Stevens and his new staff want quicker movement, a five-man attack and better scoring chances from the slot.

The Kings remain one of the better possession teams, but too much of their offense was initiated from the perimeter, without the goal presence to convert rebounds. Training camp is mostly for evaluation, and preseason games are mixed lineups, but a lot of camp figures to be spent on the updated approach.

In addition to the promoted Stevens, assistant coaches Dave Lowry and Don Nachbaur are helping implement the philosophy.

“They’re going to put their stamp on it from Day One,” Blake said.

2. When will Marian Gaborik return?

Gaborik is skating without contact and there’s not a definitive timetable for his return from a nonsurgical procedure on his knee to repair a tendon.

“We’ll know more as camp progresses,” Blake said.

Gaborik will turn 36 in February and has been set back by foot and knee injuries the last two years. Again, the Kings need him healthy to help carry the load on the wing.

3. Which young players will secure jobs?

As strong as the Kings’ veteran base is, they need some of their prospects to take another step toward being full-time NHL players ... or at least force management into difficult personnel decisions.

Forwards Adrian Kempe and Jonny Brodzinski and defenseman Paul LaDue got their feet wet last season and should have a leg up on the depth chart. But there are always surprises in camp and the Kings welcome the competition.

4. Who will play with Mike Cammalleri?

It seems logical to try Cammalleri with Anze Kopitar, but camp is a time to find chemistry and experiment.

Cammalleri, 35, seeks a late career reboot after the New Jersey Devils bought out the final two years of his contract. It would be a great story if he was able to do so in his second turn with the Kings, where he was a productive wing in the first five years of his NHL career.

Whether his center is Kopitar, Jeff Carter or someone else, Cammalleri will be looked at to help out on the left side.

5. Who is going to China?

The Kings are expected to take most of their regular players — 26 total, Blake said — for preseason games against the Vancouver Canucks in Shanghai and Beijing, on Sept. 21 and 23.

They will be the first NHL preseason games in China as part of a league promotion. The excursion will include a trip to see the Great Wall, perhaps as part of their conditioning.

“We’re going to make them climb the Wall,” Blake said jokingly.