Each NHL team’s biggest burning question in 2018

Los Angeles Kings: To what degree is Ilya Kovalchuk still relevant?

The Los Angeles Kings are nothing short of fascinating — primarily because they are the epitome of a hit or miss team.

Since their dynasty-esque runs in 2012 and 2014, respectively, the Kings have gradually embarked upon a steady decline — albeit one wherein waves of hope appear to linger on the shores of tomorrow. Anze Kopitar’s recent career year, coupled with the return of Dustin Brown as a legitimate top-end talent and the consistently strong presence of Jonathan Quick between the pipes in both the regular season and playoffs — this, in spite of the club’s lackluster performance over the course of four games against the Vegas Golden Knights back in April — are signifiers of an organization that yearns to be piloting the race for Lord Stanley’s trophy. That star defender Drew Doughty opted to sign an eight-year, $88 million extension is further reflective of the degree to which the franchise is seemingly enveloped by an overarching sense of stability.

Central to the Kings’ attempt to bridge the perceptive gap between ‘pretender’ and ‘contender’ status will be the team’s ability — or lack thereof — to net more pucks during the 2018-19 campaign. Coming off a season in which the club finished 17th in goals scored in the NHL, the organization took the potentially dynamic-altering step of signing Ilya Kovalchuk to a three-year contract with an average yearly value of $6.25 million on June 23.

For some, the move is a gamble. Kovalchuk has not played in an NHL game since 2012, and although his totals for the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg have been consistently astonishing, it’s fairly difficult to measure the differences in competition between the two leagues.

For others, the move is exactly what the Kings need. In 816 career NHL games, Kovalchuk tallied 417 goals and 816 points. An impressive addition, indeed, to a team that has been severely lacking in the finesse department as of late.

Only time will tell if the Kovalchuk signing shall have its desired impact. But as the hockey world ruminates on the possibilities surrounding the Kings’ disastrous start to the regular seaosn, expect the Russian winger’s name to be at the focal point of discussion. After all, the addition of Kovalchuk in the form of Patrick Marleau-esque money has the potential to serve as a make-or-break move.