LA KINGS OUTSIDER 2.0

Michal Handzus 2010-11 Stats: 82 GP, 12 G, 18 A, 30 PTS, -5, 10 PPP, 20 PIM   UFA this summer Zeus is serious.  And experienced.  And this is undisputed .  Zeus may be one of the most overpaid players in the league at $4-million a season but he's been invaluable to the Kings over the past three seasons (he was pretty dreadful in his first year year).  About as reliable as your 1991 Honda Civic, Zeus has only missed ONE game during his four seasons in Los Angeles.  Considering the Kings history with signing oft-injured free-agent forwards, Zeus has been a huge success. His ability to play up or down in the lineup and in all situations makes him extremely valuable.  Zeus didn an admirable job filling in for Kopitar down the stretch and in the playoffs.  He led all Kings in PK ice-time during the regular season with 2:24 which jumped up to 3:33 in the postseason.  His 10 points on the man-advantage ranked 6th amongst Kings forwards during...

Dean Lombardi:"The San Jose Sharks are proud to select from EV Landshut of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga Marco Sturm." Tomas Fleischmann was rumored to L.A..  He's a member of the Colorado Avalanche now .  At 26 years old, Fleischmann could have been a part of the Kings core group going forward.  His situation reminds me alot of Patrick Sharp.  Sharp was buried on a deep Philadelphia Flyers roster and Philly dealt him to Chicago.  Given the opportunity to play in a top-6 role with the Blackhawks; Sharp has become the team's most consistent goal threat.  Have the Kings let the next Patrick Sharp slip by?  Only time will tell.  In limited time; Flash netted 23 goals and 51 points in 69 games. The Kings responded quickly...sorta...by acquiring a player very similar to Fleischmann.  Just six years older and coming off major knee surgery. TSN's Bob McKenzie's twitter with the play-by-play on the botched Marco Sturm to Kings rumors. Marco St...

Anze Kopitar Is Among The Best Centers In The NHL The Kings have a franchise center in Anze Kopitar.  Michal Handzus is the ideal checking line center.  And Brad Richardson is the high-energy type that slots perfectly in the bottom-six.  The Kings have a huge gap to fill at the center position on the second-line.  Jarret Stoll has been far too inconsistent for him to be the #2 center on a Kings team that many think are on the brink of being in serious contention for a Cup run.  With that said, prospects like Brayden Schenn and Andrei Loktionov both made their NHL-debuts this season and could be NHL-regulars as early as 2010-11.  Read the profiles after the jump...