Los Angeles Kings: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 17: Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings reacts to a goal from Brayden McNabb #3 of the Vegas Golden Knights for a 1-0 lead during the second period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Staples Center on April 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 26: Anze Kopitar #11 of the Los Angeles Kings celebrates the overtime game winning goal with teammates Drew Doughty #8, Alec Martinez #27 and Jonathan Quick #32 against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on December 26, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. Kings won 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1. How close is the window to shutting?

As mentioned in the intro, Los Angeles is filled with players on the wrong side of 30 tied into big money, long-term contracts. They have a couple of young players who need to take the next step in order to quickly bridge the gap between them and the old guard. If they don’t progress, or even worse, if they regress, Los Angeles could be in some serious trouble.

2018-19 might be their best shot at winning another Cup. They have no cap relief in the upcoming seasons and their best players are exiting their prime or moving further from it.

The Kings loaded up for this year. They went out and made a strong pitch to Ilya Kovalchuk, giving him one year more than most teams reportedly offered, because they know their window is closing.

On paper, there’s a lot to love about the Kings. Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Jonathan Quick are all stud players at their respective positions. A healthy Jeff Carter and motivated Kovalchuk should take their offense past average. Their defensive system remains strong and even if its breaks down, Quick is one of the best safety nets between the pipes.

Next. Minnesota Wild: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season. dark

But some franchises peak early, and no matter what they do later on, they can’t re-capture that same magic they found in the original. They can try to reboot the franchise, but it doesn’t matter. The box office may grow, but the quality and reception gets worse. Some franchises are The Fast & The Furious. Other franchises are Star Wars.

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