Author: Connor Doyle
US Navy Veteran and UCLA Class of 2024. Background in International Development Studies. Los Angeles born and raised. Following hockey for over a decade.
The Battle for the Third Pair
The Kings spent the last few seasons dedicating a meticulous search for a mobile 2-way left-shot defenseman. The search often pointed toward a familiar name to the Kings’ organization due to family legacy, Jacob Chychrun. The asking price was rumored to be absurd, and the Kings deftly sought out Vladislav Gavrikov in a trade coupled […]
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Rob Blake Saga Part V: Feigned Retreat and a Pandemic
The two worst seasons for Rob Blake and the LA Kings came in 2018-19 and 2019-2020. Respectively finishing dead last in the Western Conference and second to last the following year. With the emergence of COVID-19 near the end of the 2019-2020 season, their six-game winning streak catapulted them away from finishing dead last in […]
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NHL 24 Projected Ratings: LA Kings Edition
I, for one, have played the franchise mode in NHL by EA Sports more than I’d like to admit. What do I always notice? The LA Kings rarely get the love they deserve through EA Sports. I recall NHL 16′ for example. Milan Lucic was an 88 in Boston, but once he came to LA: […]
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The Journey of Pierre Luc Dubois: Year 5 to Present
For the price tag the Jets paid for Dubois, he didn’t exactly ‘show out’ the season prior, being conveyed in the postseason sweep of Edmonton and the hunter becoming prey in Montreal sweeping the Jets. Phillip Danault is due some credit here; Mark Scheifele and the Jets top line carried the team over the Oilers […]
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Rob Blake Saga Part III: The Last Dance-Kings Edition
2016-17 was the worst season for the Kings in recent history. The Kings had come from two Stanley Cup championships sandwiched around a western conference final. The Dean Lombardi era was over. The Darryl Sutter era was over (enter John Stevens). Rob Blake had been within the organization during the renewed championship-level culture growth. The […]
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The Journey of Pierre Luc Dubois: Years 3-4
The Columbus Blue Jackets lost their leading scorer Artemi Panarin, their Vezina-winning goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, and their trade deadline pickup a year prior, Matt Duchene, to free agency. Key figures and massive production were leaving the lineup. Players were starting to leave Columbus; they had just had two seasons of going all in just to […]
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Rob Blake Saga Part II: Transfer of Power
Following a disappointing conclusion to the 2016 season, the Los Angeles Kings were reaching a pivotal fork in the road about the franchise’s direction. In the season prior, the biggest acquisition in Milan Lucic failed, for he walked into free agency and signed with the rival Edmonton Oilers. For back-to-back years, the Kings surrendered first-round […]
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The Journey of Pierre-Luc Dubois: Years 1-2
Dubois is a product of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the QMJHL. His best season came in 2015-16, wherein 62GP, he totaled 42 goals and 57 assists for 99 points. He was a playoff force; in 12 games that year, he was also a point-per-game player. In his final season […]
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